


Lattes and Fluffy Clouds

by okoku



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst?, Coffee Shop, Crying, Fluff, Hope, Junko Enoshima isn't destroying the world, Kissing, Lots and lots of kisses, M/M, Nanami the dependable best friend™, Random Updates, Smut, Someone Help These Dorks, Sonia is such a cinnamon roll omigosh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 05:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 38,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7347757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okoku/pseuds/okoku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinata Hajime isn't really quite sure what draws him into Hope's Coffee Shop every day. He tells himself it's just the amazing drinks, but the other half of him insists it's the barista with the fluffy, white hair that takes his order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

His hair was light and fluffy, almost like a cloud. It reminded Hinata of sheep's wool. His eyes were stormy grey, sometimes sparkling mischievously. This was the person that would always take Hinata's order- a simple latte.

The coffee shop that Hinata was attending was small and simple. Dark wood interior and chocolate brown walls gave it a sense of sleekness. At the front of the shop on each side of the door was two windows, making it seem more open than it was. Most people would walk by the shop and glance inside before returning to what they were previously doing, none of them particularly intrigued.

Hinata remembered yesterday when he had first stepped foot in the shop. He was walking with Nanami on their usual way to the arcade, a walk that took them down the sidewalks of the city. Her eyelids were drooping more than usual as she walked next to him, and Hinata was afraid they would have to abandon their plan to visit the arcade and go back to Nanami's apartment. "I'm fine Hinata. Honestly. I'm not that tired." She yawned and rubbed her eyelids. Hinata looked at her, frowning.

"Okay, there's a place that's supposed to sell hot drinks down the street. We can go there before hitting the arcade if you want." Nanami had told Hinata dazedly. Hinata had nodded, somewhat interested in visiting the small shop he had always seen while cruising around town. "The one a block away?" He had asked. Nanami nodded and her strides slowed down as she yawned once more. 

It took them about twenty minutes to reach the coffee shop. The duo was held up halfway with a brief encounter with Mioda, who absolutely insisted to tell them about her latest song idea. Despite Hinata's protests and Nanami almost falling asleep, she had ignored them energetically explained about her song. It had took Hinata's promise that he would purchase the song as soon as it was available to slip away. 

"It's pretty cute." Nanami mumbled as she took Hinata's arm once they walked inside. He flinched and glanced down at Nanami, who's eyes were closed as she leaned onto his arm. He took Nanami by the shoulders and guided her over to a booth by the window. After he leaned Nanami against the cushions of the booth, he got in line for coffee. The barista at the cash register was smiling kindly at the customer in front of Hinata as the customer told the barista his order. 

The barista nodded and spoke to the customer, but the words were silent to Hinata against the words of the other people in the coffee shop. The barista waved the customer in front of Hinata away and smiled kindly to Hinata, signaling that he was next. He had unusually fluffy, white hair and the most pale eyes Hinata had ever seen. "Hello~. Welcome to Hope's Coffee Shop. What can I get you?" His voice was smooth and flowed easily, like a river after a rainstorm. Hinata looked up at the barista. He was a lot taller up close than from a distance. "Two lattes please. My friend is over there passed out in the corner. She needs caffeine to get back up on her feet." Hinata looked back to Nanami, who was still sleeping peacefully in the booth. The barista laughed lightly as he swept a clove of hair out of his face. 

"I don't think a latte will revive her from a sleep that peaceful. I'll be straight with you, I think you should just take your girlfriend home and put her to bed." Hinata rubbed his neck at the barista's comment and bit his lip.

"Ah, well you see she's just my friend.." He protested awkwardly. The barista laughed once more. "My apologies then. I just assumed, you two looked like such a hopeful couple. Are you sure you want to do two latte's with your sleepy friend?" The barista rested his hand on the counter. Hinata shook his head, slightly irritated that the barista was trying to question his order. He knew that the barista was only trying to be helpful, but it still got on his nerves. "Two lattes, please." Hinata said sharply, his voice raising. The barista turned around and told a barista with long blonde hair and fair crystal eyes the order and appeared unfazed by Hinata's tone. She nodded enthusiastically and got to work. Hinata payed without saying another word to the barista and went back to the booth where Nanami was sleeping.

The barista turned out to be right, as Hinata couldn't even wake up Nanami to drink her drink. He had sighed exhaustedly and after finishing his drink, hauled Nanami onto his back and walked home. He was thankful that Nanami had previously given Hinata a key to her apartment. Once inside, Hinata put Nanami down on her bed and exited Nanami's apartment and returned back to his own apartment.

Now Hinata was back at the coffee shop. It wasn't just that he had enjoyed his coffee, but a tiny bit of him wanted to see the barista again. There was no line this time and the two barista's were conversing with each other. The barista with the fluffy hair was leaning against the wall, his black button up uniform slightly ruffled. Hinata, now in line, coughed to get one of the barista's attention. "Oh, Komaeda! Customer!" The female barista raised her voice. The male barista looked over to the cash register where Hinata was standing. 'Komaeda..? Is that his name?' Hinata thought as the barista plastered on a slight smile. "Hello, welcome to Hope's Coffee. Two lattes?" He asked, tilting his head. Hinata was surprised by that he had remember his order from yesterday. Hinata quickly shook his head. "No, my friend isn't with me today. One latte please." 

The barista nodded and turned around to the female barista. "He wants one latte, Sonia." Sonia bounced energetically and began to make Hinata's drink. "How did you remember my order?" Hinata asked. The fluffy haired barista ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "Easy to remember. We didn't get much customers yesterday. I figured it might be worth remembering as well, considering how much I usually see your face passing this place. I thought you would never come in~." 

Hinata's face was tinted slightly with pink and he quickly looked away. It was true that he had always looked in the window as he passed by, but never found the time to step inside. "All done!" Sonia declared as she placed the steaming cup on the counter. Hinata quickly rushed over to grab the cup and cursed silently when his hands burned picking it up. "Careful. It's hot." The male barista said, propping his elbows on the counter and resting his face in his hands. "Thanks for telling me." Hinata said dryly, wiping his hands on his clothes. Sonia smiled sweetly at Hinata. "I think that would go without saying." She pushed her hair behind her shoulders and began to clean off the countertops.

Hinata shot a glare at her and she giggled. Hinata picked up the latte, this time not gripping the latte as hard as before. Hinata carried it to the booth he sat at last time with Nanami. He quietly sipped on his latte and looked up to where the male barista was once more leaning against the wall. The barista caught his eye and walked out from behind the counter over to where Hinata was sitting. "Are you enjoying it?~" He asked, sitting down in the chair across from Hinata.

Hinata nodded and took another sip. "Definitely." The white haired barista nodded. "That's wonderful to hear. I'm Komaeda Nagito." Komaeda leaned forward in his booth and looked Hinata straight in the eye. The pale gaze sent chills up Hinata's spine. "Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you." Komaeda grinned. "The pleasure is all mine, Hinata-kun."


	2. Chapter 2

Komaeda waved at Hinata from behind the counter as Hinata entered Hope's Coffee Shop for the third time in a row. "What a loyal customer~" Komaeda said as Hinata arrived at the front of the line. Hinata rolled his eyes and put his hands in his coat pockets. It was getting colder as winter rolled in, meaning that everyone that lived in the city would soon be wearing cozy jackets. Hinata always wore his before everyone else would, as he easily got cold. "Latte." Hinata grumbled, looking up at Komaeda.

The height was what he hated most about the barista. He would always have to look up to order his drink from the cloud haired barista. The signature smile that he shared to person to person. His unwavering patience to customers. Always acting nice to Hinata. Not to mention Komaeda's confidence in almost everything he said honestly ticked Hinata off. 

"Latte for Hinata-kun!" Komaeda yelled back to Sonia, who was busy making drinks for other customers. It was ten in the morning, making it rush hour for the coffee shop. Customers of all kinds were sitting at tables and booths, most of them typing away at a laptop. Some of them were reading a newspaper while sipping on a drink. 

"Yep!" Sonia called in response as she plopped the drink she had just finished on the counter and got to work on Hinata's latte. "I would love to chat Hinata-kun, but I'm afraid there's a huge line behind you that I have to tend to." 'It's not like I wanted to talk in the first place!' Hinata thought. Komaeda gave Hinata a foxlike grin before waving him away. Hinata stepped out of the line, still looking at Komaeda. Someone complained that he was in the way, forcing Hinata to quickly apologize and step away.

A few minutes passed when Sonia called Hinata's name. She slid the latte onto the counter and winked. "Careful, it's hot." Sonia laughed quietly to herself and began working on the next drink. "I'm never going to live that down." Hinata muttered, picking up the latte without thinking. "Ah!" He said and immediately placed it back on the counter. "Nice job, Hinata-kun~" Komaeda called, laughing at Hinata burning himself once more. Hinata shook his head, wrapped his hands in his jacket sleeves, and picked up the latte.

Once he was sitting down at his usual booth, Hinata looked down at his latte and noticed that Sonia had made the design of a bear inside his latte. He had always liked it when the baristas put a design of their own in the drink. It made each drink feel special and unique, giving off the "I made this just for you!" vibe.

The line was beginning to shorten as people cleared out of the coffee shop. Hinata sat in his booth, bored as he sipped on his latte. He didn't know what he was thinking not bringing something to do. He had assumed he could talk to someone, but thinking back on it now that seemed pretty stupid. The only people he knew there were working at the coffee shop, it's not like they could randomly stop working to talk to Hinata.

Hinata glanced up at Komaeda, who was now helping a short blond man who had a glare written plainly on his face. "No you idiot, I asked for decaf!" The customer yelled. 'Why is he making such a fuss? It's not even that big of a deal.' Hinata thought. All the people sitting in the coffee shop went silent as the young man yelled at Komaeda, calling him an idiot about twenty times.

"I'm very sorry for mishearing you, sir." Komaeda said, trying to calm the customer down. He continued smiling at the shorter male. "You better be!" The customer shouted before walking hurriedly out of the coffee shop and slamming the door behind him. Komaeda and Sonia exchanged blank expressions before continuing on with work.

'What a jerk.' Hinata sighed and drank the last of his latte. He stood up and flattened his jacket before picking up the empty cup. "H-hey! Wipe up your spill!" Hinata swung around to face a frowning girl with two braids and an overly large pair of glasses. He didn't even remember making a spill. She crossed her arms and looked down at the small spill on the table where Hinata was sitting.

"Oh, sure. Sorry about that." Hinata said quickly. He grabbed a napkin from a dispenser on the wall and wiped up the spill. It wasn't even that big of a spill, yet the girl had still went out of her way to make Hinata clean it up. "You missed a spot." She said sharply as Hinata tossed his napkin in the trash. Hinata sighed and turned around to look at the girl once more. "Honestly, it's just a tiny splash. Can't you-"

"Hello Fukawa! Is there anything I can help you with?" Komaeda walked up to where Hinata and the girl were standing, clearly interrupting them. He stood in the middle of them, seeming like he didn't notice the heated conversation between the both of them. Fukawa tilted her head up as Komaeda intervened. "Th-this stupid idiot can't clean up his table!" She stuttered, pointing to Hinata. Komaeda's smile faltered a little. "It's okay Fukawa. I can clean it up right away." He stepped in front of Hinata and asked Fukawa where the spill was. Anger welled up inside Hinata. Why would Komaeda side with Fukawa just like that? It ticked him off. 

Hinata followed Komaeda and Fukawa just behind them. "Alright, what table were you at?" Komaeda asked, putting his hands on his hips. "R-right here. Can't you see that?" Fukawa pointed to the small dab of latte on the table. Komaeda nodded and grinned. He grabbed a washcloth from behind the counter and began wiping down the whole table.

Hinata rolled his eyes and walked away from the two of them. 'Really? The whole table? Isn't that a little unnecessary?' He walked up to the counter where he was given his latte and placed the cup on the counter. As he was zipping up his coat, a shout of "Hinata-kun!" Got his attention. Exhausted, he turned around to face Komaeda who was walking over.

"Hey." Hinata said tiredly. He checked warily behind Komaeda to make sure that the girl had not followed him. Komaeda crossed his arms and looked behind him. "What are you looking for, Hinata-kun?" He asked. Hinata quickly shook his head and itched his cheek. "Nothing, nothing." Komaeda looked unconvinced, but let the subject go nevertheless. "Anyways, I'm off for the day and I would love to get to know more about Hinata-kun. You absolutely radiate hope." Komaeda stared at Hinata, not breaking eye contact as he spoke. 'Hope..? The hell?' Hinata thought as Komaeda continued to go on about how Hinata radiated hope.

"So what are you asking me?"  
"I'm asking Hinata-kun if he wants to come with me to lunch."  
Hinata's eyes widened, surprised that the other would want to do something with him despite Hinata pissing a customer off (even if it was by accident).  
"Fine." Hinata replied, unsure about whether he made the correct decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! Thank you everyone whi left comments of support on the first chapter, it really means a lot and it encourages me to write more of this. The next chapter will be uploaded on the 14th of July! Have a great day and see you then~


	3. Chapter 3

Komaeda shot the usual smile at Hinata as he dismissed himself from Hinata to grab his jacket. Hinata wasn't even why he complied to go along with the cloud-haired barista. "I need to go to the back and grab my jacket. I'll be back in a few minutes, Hinata-kun."

'My hunger is probably just getting to me. Yeah, that must be it.'

After a few minutes that seemed to take forever, Komaeda reappeared at Hinata's side. "Thank you for waiting~" Komaeda gestured to the dark green jacket he was holding in his hand.  
"We can go when you are ready, Hinata-kun. I don't want to rush you with my sudden request." Komaeda smiled softly and leaned against the dark brown wall. Hinata snorted and crossed his arms. "I was going to leave anyways. It's fine, let's go." Komaeda nodded and advanced towards the front door, holding it open for Hinata. He murmured a small thanks for Komaeda and stepped out of Hope's Cafe. A small blast of cold air greeted him and Komaeda.

"It's getting kind of cold outside these days. The winter months always brings these kinds of cold fronts." Komaeda attempted to initiate a conversation, but Hinata wasn't sure he should add to it. Did he want to build a friendship with someone who got on his nerves like Komaeda did? Komaeda pulled his dark green jacket over his arms and let the long jacket ends fall to his side.

Hinata nodded bluntly. "Yep." He said, his voice dry. He looked up to the cloudy sky. The clouds were darker in the middle, hinting to rain or snow. He glanced over to Komaeda, who was strolling at his side with his hands in the pockets of his long dark green coat. The other looked straight ahead, waving to people now and then.

"What place do you want to go to?" Hinata asked, breaking the awkward silence that he hated so much. He wished he had never agreed to go with Komaeda to lunch. Komaeda put his finger to his lips in thought.

'What kind of person asks someone out to lunch and doesn't even know where to go?'

"There's a lunch place that just opened down the street. Would you be open to go there, Hinata-kun?" Komaeda asked. He put both of his hands back in his pockets as he stared at Hinata, awaiting a response.

"Sure." Hinata looked straight down the direction Komaeda and him were traveling. He didn't want to meet the those stupid grey eyes. He always got lost in them. It felt like Hinata was drowning when he looked into the grey depths. Like he had forgotten how to swim and one of his friends had thrown him in the pool as a joke.

The two silently walked over to restaurant, turning around corners or crossing the street whenever Komaeda told him to. Along the way, Komaeda had zipped up his own coat. He had said that he had hoped it would snow. "It's always to beautiful when it snows. Its almost like thousands of tiny crystals are falling from the sky, just for me. I doubt snow would ever fall for someone like me, though. It probably snows for a person like you, Hinata-kun." Komaeda had said softly. Hinata hadn't responded, but instead made a mental note in his mind.

'Komaeda Nagito likes snow.'

"Is this it?" Hinata asked, stopping beside a restaurant with a bright neon sign in front. "Yes, I believe this is it~"  
Komaeda continued on to the door of the restaurant and pulled it open. He positioned himself in front of the door, holding it open. "Hinata-kun first." Komaeda laughed quietly and grinned.

A prick of annoyance swelled up inside of Hinata. Why was this guy laughing? It's not like anything funny happened. "Thanks." He muttered, going through the open doorway.

The inside of the restaurant was warm and smelled of fresh food. Families and couples sat at the tables, giving the restaurant a warm, friendly ambiance. Komaeda let go of the door and slipped to Hinata's side. Hinata pointed to a sign labeled "seat yourself please!" Komaeda nodded wordlessly and led them to a small dark table with two seats on opposite sides.

"Are you okay with this, Hinata-kun? If you aren't we can always go somewhere else." Komaeda asked, looking down to Hinata. "It's fine." Hinata replied dryly, his uncomfortableness rising up in his voice. Komaeda casted him a quick concerned look before sitting down. Once Komaeda and Hinata each sat down on opposite sides of the table, they both picked up one of the menus already at the table. Once they had both decided on what they wanted to order, Hinata signaled over a server to take their order. The server left quickly after taking the duo's order. 

Komaeda put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. His eyes pierced into Hinata, making the other shift in his seat restlessly.

'Why did I even do this? Doesn't this person even know how to act normally around people? Why does he always stare at me?'

Questions whirred through Hinata's mind and he finally arrived at an answer.

'Because he's stupid.'

Komaeda began sliding his pointer finger up and down his cheek before speaking. "So, what do you do for a living?" Hinata straightened himself at Komaeda's question. He rubbed his neck sheepishly and bit his lip. "Unemployed. I just moved out from my Mom and Dad's house. The apartment I'm living is only a result of the money they gave me to start out with. I guess I haven't really thought of getting a job, but now that you mention it I'm sure I should start looking for one soon."

Disappointment flickered in the shadows of Komaeda's eyes. He slid over the water the waitress had bought him earlier and took a sip. "Ah, I see. I think I expected Hinata-kun to have a really impressive job with all the hope you emit. I really do love your hope. Oh well, I guess all hope ends in despair." Komaeda sighed and put his water back on the coaster.

'L-love my hope? What the hell..?'

Hinata quickly grabbed for his orange juice. His hand darted close to it before a warm hand grabbed Hinata's hand. Hinata's hand brushed against the orange juice, almost tipping it over. Hinata's eyes traveled up the hand that had grabbed his, and met the face of Nagito Komaeda.

"Careful, Hinata-kun. You almost knocked your drink over." Komaeda looked over to the orange juice, his hand still enclosed around Hinata's.

Hinata quickly withdrew his hand from Komaeda's. He stood up and took a step back. "I-I gotta go." He muttered before beginning speed walk to the exit of the restaurant.

"Hinata-kun!" He heard a voice call out behind him, but he didn't turn back. All he could hear was dull pounding of his heart.

The warmth of Komaeda's hand still lingered on Hinata's, even though the other was no longer there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading to here! I'm so excited about both of the new Dangan Ronpa anime, they look flipping amazing. Between that and Pokemon Go this week, it was a flipping awesome week. Next chapter will be up on the 21st of July! See you there~


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata tore down the city sidewalk, holding the hand that Komaeda had held to his chest with his other hand. He didn't bother apologizing to the people he accidentally ran into as he sprinted down. Emotions of anger, confusion, and one other he just couldn't quite identify ran rampant throughout his mind.

His loudest thought at the time was 'Did he really just do that?' Komaeda didn't have to grab his hand, did he? Maybe Komaeda could have just told him to look out for his drink. He couldn't dare face him again after running out like that, but then again maybe that wasn't so bad. Komaeda had creeped him out and seemed a little too strange for Hinata.

Hinata turned a sharp left around a corner bend and arrived at the front doors of his apartment building. It was plain on the outside, and equally as plain on the inside. That was fine with Hinata, he wasn't bothered by that.

Hinata entered the building and walked through the lobby to the elevator that went up to the floor his room was on. Hinata quickly tapped the fifth floor button and then pressed the button to close the elevator door as soon as he saw other people walking up to get on. Normally he would be fine with other residents getting on, but he didn't feel like it today. He could practically hear them swearing in anger as the elevator moved up to his floor.

Hinata walked through the hallway to his room, unlocked the room with his key, and entered the security of his apartment. Like the rest of the apartment building, the apartment itself was extremely basic. The kitchen was in the same room as the living room, and the only other rooms were the bathroom and the bedroom.

Hinata unzipped his jacket and threw it on the opposing couch. He let out an exhausted sigh and plopped down on the couch, both of his arms resting on the top of the couch as he leaned back. Why did he have to run out in confusion and anger before he ate? 'Dammit, he probably would of payed.' Hinata thought. Then again, he probably would of stopped Komaeda from paying for him.

Hinata's head snapped in the direction of his jacket as he heard a faint buzzing from within one of the pockets. He picked the jacked up, first fishing through the left pocket (No luck!) and then the right. He wrapped his fingers around he cell phone. The caller ID dispayed Chiaki Nanami's name and number as the screen flashed on and off. Hinata declined the call and texted Nanami.  
'I'm sorry, can't talk right now. Maybe later.'  
Hinata put his phone on sleep mode and put it down on the couch next to him. He stood up and began walking to his bedroom, hoping that a nice nap would help him clear his thoughts.

___________

Three days had passed since the day Hinata ran out on lunch with Komaeda. He had decided to tell Nanami about what had happened, hoping for support from her in telling him that he had not overreacted.

"He was being kind to you and stopped you from making a mess and embarrassing yourself." Nanami leaned against the wall. Unfortunately, she hadn't sided with Hinata on the issue. She tilted her head and yawned.

"But he was being creepy." Hinata quickly protested, his voice growing weak. When he was in school, Hinata was always the ace of the debate club. He would easily support his arguments with concrete facts and evidence to help win over people to his side. Yet Nanami was always the hardest opponent to beat in an argument. She was always tougher to break through than a normal opponent.

"That doesn't change the fact that you ran out without apologizing...probably." Nanami pulled her hood over her head. Her pale pink eyes made looked up into Hinata's green ones. "Please apologize to him tomorrow, Hinata. I know it wouldn't rest easy with you if you didn't. After that, then you can decide whether you want to see him again."

Hinata had agreed to take Nanami's order. Maybe then the pale-eyed barista would leave his thoughts. After all, it isn't fun to think about the person you detest constantly around the clock. He stood in front of the double doors of Hope's Coffee shop, a day after Nanami had visited.

The blurry shapes of what appeared to be Komaeda Nagito and Sonia Nevermind moved behind the frosted glass window next to the door. Hinata pulled open the   
doors of the coffee shop and entered quickly, as it was beginning to snow outside.

The cafe was nearly empty with a few customers scattered among the booths. The line was empty, and Komaeda and Sonia were talking to each other as they waiting for another customer to enter. Komaeda's back was to Hinata while Sonia faced him, and her face lit up with a warm happiness as she spotted Hinata.

"Hinata!" She called, breaking her conversation with Komaeda. Komaeda turned around to face the direction Sonia was facing and shot Hinata a cheerful smile as he waved his hand in greeting.

Hinata walked up to the two baristas, unable to help the small smile forming at his lips as he looked at Komaeda and Sonia, each equally happy that Hinata had returned. He could of sworn he saw a glint of happiness and relief in Komaeda's eyes as he walked through the nonexistent line. 

"Latte, please." Hinata put his hands in his coat pockets. Komaeda looked back to Sonia, who had appeared to have heard the order herself and had already gotten to work on it. "It's nice to see you again, Hinata-kun. You left lunch so suddenly, I hope that nothing was wrong. I really was worried. I even thought about calling you, but realized I don't have your number!" Hinata laughed quietly and rubbed his neck. Hinata put his hands in his coat pockets. "Yeah, um, sorry about that. I had something to take care of that I forgot about." Hinata looked down to his shoes and began intently studying them.

"Ah, sorry about inviting you to lunch then. I wouldn't of if I had known that you had something important to take care of. Wow, to think that you wasted some of your time with scum like me. I'm very sorry, Hinata-kun." Komaeda replied, seeming genuinely sorry.

The look on Komaeda's face was splayed with guilt, so much that you would think someone close to him died. "I-it wasn't that important. And you're not scum." Hinata said sharply, still looking down at his shoes. Komaeda's eyes widened a bit in surprise and he looked warmly at Hinata.  
"Th-thank you, Hinata-kun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Oh my goodness, the end of the second episode of DR3 Mirai was such a slap in the face. I died a little inside. Anyways, I'm not really happy with how I ended this chapter, but I hope it's not too bad. The next chapter will be up on the 28th of July!


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata sheepishly rubbed his neck as the other thanked him for telling him he wasn't scum. "Well, its not that big of a deal." Hinata muttered and stepped away from the front of the cash register. He rested one of the arms on the counter where Sonia deposited the freshly made drinks. 

A frown worked it's way onto Hinata's face. Komaeda had simply followed him from the cash register. "I was thinking.." Komaeda said, placing both of his hands on the counter.

"...That we should try to redo the last time we went out to lunch." Komaeda tilted his head, a small smile on his face.

'You've got somewhere to go, it's so simple. Just say that. Don't screw this up Hajime. Decline and walk away.'

'Then again, what if he isn't as creepy as I thought. I mean, he must be a good guy to try to redo the lunch. I can't believe I'm doing this.'

"Okay." Hinata replied, jamming one of his hands in his pocket. Komaeda folded his arms together. "When would work best?"

Hinata looked up towards the ceiling in thought. It was Thursday today, tomorrow he had nothing going on, and Saturday he promised to go with Nanami to the arcade. "Does tomorrow work?" He asked, hoping the apprehension wasn't hearable in his voice. Komaeda nodded and Hinata felt a small smile tug at his lips. Hinata asked about a time and Komaeda had said that any time was fine. "It's kind of funny. I was randomly given tomorrow off and I felt really unlucky." Hinata raised an eyebrow.  
"Why?"  
"Well, days off are so boring for me. I never have anything to do. But now I see that my luck has turned around."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Now I get to eat lunch with Hinata-kun~"   
A tiny shade of pink worked it's way into Hinata's cheeks. He quickly turned the other way and coughed, hoping it wasn't noticeable.

❁ 

Hinata stood in front of his bathroom mirror, pushing and pulling at his spiky hair. He had never minded the bit that stuck up in the middle, but now it just seemed annoying.

'What am I doing? Why the hell am I so concerned over what I look like? We're just going out to lunch.'

He let out a dramatic sigh and grabbed his coat. Komaeda had recommended they go the same place they had last went time. Apparently the food was full of hope or something stupid. Closing the door behind him, Hinata set out for the place he was supposed to meet Komaeda.

Komaeda was leaning against the wall, gazing absentmindedly at the street in front of him. Hinata walked up to Komaeda and stood in front of him. The other's eyes widened and he stood up straight.

"How long have you been here? I arrived ten minutes early." Hinata asked, his feet crunching in the snow as he shifted awkwardly. Komaeda rubbed his head and laughed. "I just got here."

Hinata looked at the amount of snow that had gathered on Komaeda's jacket and shrugged, wondering why he had gone out of his way to lie to him. A thin layer of snow had gathered on Komaeda's jacket.

"Should we go inside?" Hinata asked, reaching for the door. The other nodded and stepped in front of Hinata and pulled open the door.

'At least let me do something good for you. Jeez.'

As Hinata and Komaeda walked to the table they had sat at the first time they had came there, Hinata noticed a girl with pulled up brown hair and tan skin take a bite of her food. A couple drips of ketchup fell from her food and onto her white tank top. She sighed exasperatedly.

Now sitting down, Komaeda and Hinata both ordered the same thing they had the last time. Soon enough, they were in the exact same scenario that they had been in before Hinata had ran off.

Hinata drank his orange juice through a blue straw as Komaeda contentedly stared at him. "How long have you been working at Hope's Coffee?" Hinata asked, breaking the silence.

"Since the opening of it, so that would mean a few months." Komaeda replied, pausing to take a sip of his water. "What about Sonia?"

"The exact same. I'm lucky to have a very enthusiastic co-worker." There it was again, the mention of luck. "Do you believe in luck, Komaeda?" Hinata asked, even though he was sure what the answer was. Komaeda had kept bringing luck up in conversations.

"Yes. Good and bad luck has haunted me my entire life."

"Huh..?" Hinata looked at him confusedly. Komaeda appeared to be lost in thought now as he placed both of his elbows on the table. His head rested in his hands.

"For example, I was lucky to get to eat out with Hinata-kun last time. My bad luck came by when you had to leave so suddenly." Komaeda moved one of his hands away from his face and rested his finger on his water. He slowly traced circles on the edge of the glass cup.

"Oh, I kind of get it know." Hinata placed his orange juice (which had previously been in front of him) to the edge of the table on the left. Komaeda's eyes widened and when Hinata withdrew his hand from the cup. Komaeda's hand leaped forward from under his chin to the cup. Hinata flinched and quickly withdrew his hand from it. Komaeda grapped the cup and moved it more over to the left so it wasn't on the edge of thw table. 

"Sorry, I really don't want a repeat of yesterday." Komaeda explained and smiled cheerfully at Hinata. Content flashed in Hinata's eyes as he smiled and nodded in understanding. He was glad he had given Komaeda a second chance, as the other wasn't nearly as bad as he had previously thought.

The food was placed on the table and the two ate, talking about random topics between bites. When they had finished, the waiter dropped off a check at their table and took their empty plates. Komaeda was right, assuming that food being full of hope meant tasting amazing.

Komaeda made the first move for the check, pulling out his credit card. "I can pay." Hinata said quickly, grabbing the other end of the check. "It's really no problem Hinata-kun. Consider this my thanks for hanging out with scum like me." Komaeda tugged on the other end of the check. "Komaeda." Hinata said a little too sharply as he pulled the check from Komaeda's grasp. "You are not scum." Hinata scolded, his voice cold.

Surprise flashed into Komaeda's eyes. "Right. Sorry." The other muttered, putting his credit card away. Hinata swore he could hear Komaeda muttering something else under his breath as soon as he finished speaking. Hinata tucked his card into the check and placed it on the end of the table. The waiter swooped it up in a instant. Komaeda looked down at his table, eyes glossy and portraying no emotion.

"I'm sorry about speaking so harshly. I didn't mean for it to come out like that." Hinata said gently to Komaeda trying to portray how sorry he was.

Komaeda looked up and shook his head. "It's okay, if anyone is apologizing it should be me for forcing you to take that tone."

The waiter dropped the check back off and Hinata took his card from the check. He stood up and looked down to Komaeda who was still sitting in his chair. "Wanna walk out together?" There was no mistaking the flash of happiness in Komaeda's eyes as he stood up. "Gladly."

Komaeda and Hinata walked over to the door together, Hinata holding open the door this time. He smiled to himself. He was glad that he gave Komaeda a second chance as he was sure he had just made a great friend. Despite the other being creepy from time to time.

A small layer of snow covered the sidewalk as Hinata and Komaeda walked out together. "Where is your car? I can walk you there." Komaeda ran a hand through his white hair. Hinata shook his head. "I walked from my apartment."  
"Then I'll walk you to your apartment building."  
"That isn't necessary."  
"I have to make up for you paying for lunch, Hinata-kun."  
"Fine, I guess."

Hinata and Komaeda began walking west down the sidewalk together, their footprints crunching in the snow. "Are you liking all the snow?" Hinata asked, looking at the taller boy. Komaeda nodded, shaking the flakes of snow that had landed in his hair. "It's beautiful." He whispered and looked down to Hinata, making the other's heart leap just a tiny bit.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, Hinata studying every snowflake he could that fell from the sky. Komaeda stopped at the front of the apartment building first. Hinata placed a foot out to stop, but it slipped in the thin layer of snow. He fell forward, landing in the warmth of Komaeda's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYY *flashes finger guns* sorry about that cliffhanger. You'll have to find out what happens next on the 4th of August. Thank you so much for 70+ kudos, I can't believe how popular this fic has gotten in the last few days. Thank you so much for all the support, it means a lot. What would you guys think if I did a chapter from Komaeda's POV? Anyways, have a great day and see you on August 4th!


	6. Chapter 6

Komaeda stopped in front of Hinata's apartment building and turned back to look at Hinata scrambling up. Small flecks of white rested in Hinata's hair and Komaeda figured that his own hair must look the same. It had been snowing since they had first entered the restaurant and showed no signs of stopping.

Hinata stopped next to Komaeda and let out a yelp as his foot slipped in the snow, still fresh on the sidewalk. "Hinata-kun!" Komaeda yelled as Hinata fell into his arms. He wrapped his arms around Hinata, catching him. Komaeda looked down into Hinata's pale eyes and found them wide with emotion and surprise.

Worry immediately tensed up in Komaeda, fearing that Hinata would run away again. "A-are you okay, Hinata-kun?" Komaeda asked, still holding onto Hinata. Hinata nodded bluntly in response. A small smile tugged at Komaeda's lips as he noticed that Hinata's face was bright pink.

Heat from Hinata pulsed though Komaeda as he held him. His heartbeat roared in his ears as he became aware of how close their faces were. They both stared at each other as snow settled on their shoulders and hair. A small snowflake landed on Hinata's nose and melted away as quickly as it had came.

"S-sorry about that." Hinata began to step back and Komaeda loosened his arms and returned them to his side. A shiver of disappointment and hollowness ran through Komaeda and he folded his arms. He smiled cheerfully at Hinata to hide his dissatisfaction. "I'm just glad you're safe and sound. It would be bad if you got hurt just because I insisted on walking you home. I'm sorry, Hinata-kun."

Hinata snorted and looked away, the pink still noticeable on his cheeks. "It's not your fault. If anything, it should be me thanking you for making sure I didn't get hurt." 

"You don't have to." Komaeda muttered, eyes averting to the ground. Why would Hinata ever want to thank someone like him? The idea of it is enough to humor him. Hinata raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to Komaeda. "Thank you, Komaeda. For making sure I didn't get hurt." Hinata said quietly, not making eye contact with him. He opened his mouth to protest and refuse the thanks before Hinata stepped towards the door of his apartment building. "See you later." He said before opening the doors to his apartment building. Komaeda slowly waved his hand until Hinata disappeared from his sight.

He didn't know whether Hinata falling into him was good or bad luck. Maybe it was bad luck because it made Komaeda get his hopes up when in reality there was nothing there. Maybe it was good luck because he was supposed to get his hopes up and there was something there. He just didn't know.

His heart had almost stopped when Hinata ran away from him at the restaurant. It was terrible luck that had caused it and he wished his damn luck never existed in the first place. Komaeda was surprised when Hinata had taken interest into it. No one had ever questioned the luck when Komaeda was referencing it.

Komaeda looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. The snow that slowly landed on his face melted into tiny water droplets.

It seemed only natural that something so beautiful would disappear so soon.

 

❁

Komaeda glanced back at Sonia as she hurriedly made the orders. Her expression was determined, yet Komaeda swore he could see it waver every few minutes. It was the busiest hour of the day, but today was strangely busier than most. "H-hurry up!" The stuttering voice of Toko Fukawa called as she stood by the counter and waited for her drink.

"Your order will be ready in a minute!" Sonia called. Komaeda turned to the customer and typed in the order. "Thank you!" He said cheerfully before turning to the next customer. He locked his gaze in the depths of pale green eyes before realizing who they belonged to.

"Hinata-kun~ How are you today?" Komaeda asked, retaining his composed attitude. Hinata looked away from Komaeda, a bit of pink highlighted in his cheeks. "I'm good." Hinata coughed awkwardly and stepped back. "Latte?" Komaeda asked softly.

Of course Hinata would be awkward, considering on how he had acted the last time Komaeda made contact with him. "Yeah. Sorry, I was distracted there." Komaeda opened his mouth to ask why, but was silenced by the sinister glare from the customer behind Hinata. He was taking to long to take Hinata's order.

Hinata paid and Komaeda waved Hinata away to attend to the order of the customer (who was now fuming) who was standing behind Hinata. Komaeda later glanced over to the corner where Hinata usually sat and saw that he was looking his way.

'He shouldn't pay attention to scum like me.'

Komaeda couldn't help it when he began to blush, a small happiness warming in his heart.

❁

"We did it!" Sonia proclaimed, leaning against the wall dramatically. "Back in the Novoselic Kingdom, there was never shops this busy." Komaeda laughed and took off his apron. "I'm going to the back room." He called, swinging the door open to go into the back. It was a small room, mostly used for storage. In the middle of the room was a small table and two chairs. Komaeda hung his dark green apron up on a hook on a wall next to one of the chairs.

He grabbed his dark green coat from the opposite chair and put it on over his shoulders. He stepped back into the shop, which was now empty of all signs of customers. Komaeda was relieved it was Sonia's day to lock up the coffee shop. He was exhausted.

"Hey, Komaeda?" Sonia asked, looking up from a table she had been wiping down. "Yes, Sonia?"

"I was thinking about calling the owner. I think we should start hiring more staff." Sonia began twirling a finger in her pale blonde hair as she smiled confidently. "Today was very busy, and you could tell that most of the customers were getting frustrated with the pace we were moving at. If we had about two or three more employees, they could wipe off the tables or help me make orders. What do you think?" Komaeda bought a finger to his lip in thought. She was right, a few extra hands around the shop could help increase the speed in which they could help customers. "That's a good plan, Sonia. Calling the owner about that seems like a good idea, seeing as she barely checks in on us now." Komaeda walked over to the door to exit. "Night, Sonia." Komaeda said as he pushed open the door to the outside.

"Excuse me Komaeda, but I wasn't finished speaking." Sonia had followed him outside. "Oh, sorry about that. Should we head back inside?" He asked, even though he didn't really want to. He was ready to go home and to sleep for the night. Sonia shook her head and reached inside the pocket of her coat. A small letter with 'Komaeda' written in cursive was in her hand. She extended it to Komaeda.

Komaeda took the letter and ran his fingers over the edge of it. "It's an invitation to my party. I hope you can come." Sonia waved goodbye to Komaeda and slipped back inside the shop. Komaeda tucked the invitation inside his coat pocket, still running his finger along the edges of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the support and I hope you enjoyed this weeks chapter! Honestly I can see most of you screaming that the kiss didn't happen, but it will soon ;) . I am going to change the updates from Thursdays to Tuesdays. Tuesdays just happen to work better in my schedule. So yeah, the next chapter will be up on Tuesday, the 9th of August!


	7. Chapter 7

The invitation Sonia had given Komaeda sits on his desk and almost seems to glow. He's never really been one for parties. The last one he had attended was in grade school and even that didn't turn out too well. It was only his luck that the monkeys had escaped from their enclosure and gone wild around the zoo, ruining the party.

He wondered if Hinata liked parties. Hinata struck Komaeda as someone who would enjoy parties as long as the right people were invited. Then again, he barely knew anything about him.

Komaeda sighed and ran a hand through his hair and stood up from the couch he was sitting in. His hand wavered over the invitation on his desk before grabbing it and walking out of the door.

Jacket trailing behind him, Komaeda locked the front door of his house and unlocked his car. The sun was setting and the ghost of the moon was visible against the slowly darkening sky.

I wonder if Hinata-kun is watching this sunset too.

❁ 

Komaeda's car pulled up in front of a large mansion with lit up windows. He parked on the curb and opened his car door. His eyes widened at the sheer size of the place. Large trees towered over the path leading up to the front doors of the mansion.

The sun had set and the stars illuminated the night sky. Dead leaves crunched with the snow under Komaeda's double zippered shoes. Komaeda was perfectly aware that he was late to the party, as the drive took much longer than he thought it would. 

The double front doors were left open as music echoed into the front yard. Shadows moved behind the bright windows joyfully.

It was so nice of Sonia to invite trash like me to her party!

Komaeda walked up three steps up to the door and stepped inside, his hands inside his pockets. He spotted Sonia in the corner of the living room immediately as she talked to a man with a purple scarf and several- wait, are those hamsters?

Komaeda laughed under his breath and looked around the living room. In the corner was a grand staircase that led to the second floor, and what Komaeda assumed also led to the third floor judging from the outside height of the mansion.

"Komaeda! I'm so glad you could come!" Komaeda turned around to face Sonia as she walked up. The man she was talking to remained in the corner, petting one of his hamsters as the rest cheerfully jumped around on his shoulders.

"As am I. Thank you for inviting me here." Komaeda gave her a small nod as he responded. Sonia turned around and waved to the man with the hamsters to come over, but he shook his head and retreated farther into the shadows of the corner. "That's Tanaka. He refuses to come out of the corner and say hello. Then again, if you have powers like he does it can't be helped" Sonia pouted shortly before reequipping her usual smile.

"Ibuki is here!" Komaeda snapped around to spot a wild girl with dyed hair shouting in the doorway. He frowned, she was even later than he was.

"Mioda!" Sonia said happily in response, running to her friend. Mioda turned around and then quickly turned back to face Sonia and Komaeda, holding onto someones wrist and raising it as high as she could.

The embarrassed face of Hinata Hajime slipped out from behind Mioda. Komaeda's eyebrows raised in interest and walked over to the scene. He caught eye contact with Hinata and smiled gently at him.

"I bought the person you requested! It was a little hard though, this guy refused to leave his apartment. But it wasn't anything the great Ibuki can't handle!" Ibuki lowered Hinata's wrist and Hinata snatched it away from Mioda, holding it to his chest.

"I hope you didn't make him come when he didn't want to." Sonia frowned and looked at Mioda. "I-it's fine. I wanted to come." Hinata cut in, looking away from Komaeda. "I'm glad Hinata-kun could come~" Komaeda interrupted, taking another step closer.

Sonia took a glance at Komaeda before speaking. "That's good to hear! Now let us enjoy this party!" Sonia chirped happily, clapping her hands together. She waved goodbye and went back over to the corner where she was when Komaeda first arrived. Mioda sprinted up the stairs, leaving Hinata and Komaeda in each others company.

"I hope she doesn't get into much trouble." Hinata's eyes followed the girl bouncing up the stairs. His eyes sparkled with humor. "Is she known to do that?" Komaeda asked grinned weakly. It seemed like someone with that much energy could pull of anything.

Hinata nodded. "I went to see one of her concerts and at the end of it she threw her guitar on the ground and started jumping on it. Her sponsors were horrified."

"I see." Komaeda frowned. "What music do you listen to?" Komaeda asked, steering the conversation towards Hinata. He wanted to know more about him and figured he wouldn't find out much about Hinata while talking about Mioda.

Hinata shrugged and rubbed his neck. "Anything, really. I don't really have much of an opinion when it comes to music."

Hinata doesn't have an opinion about music. Most people do, but Hinata doesn't. Strange.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" Hinata asked, looking up to Komaeda. "Sure." Komaeda began to walk to the left when he realized he had no idea where the drinks were. Judging from the look Hinata was giving him, he didn't know either.

"I think the kitchen would be the best place to look first." Hinata said, looking to the left. Komaeda took his hands out of his pockets as he slipped through the crowds of people. He didn't expect this many people to show up at the party.

I should of. She must of invited almost all of the people she barely knew if she invited someone as unimportant as me here.

He glanced back to check if Hinata was following him. A flare of panic ensued in Komaeda as he didn't see him. Komaeda stopped and looked around. "Hinata-kun!" He yelled against the chatter and music of the party.

He felt a wave of relief when he spotted spiky brown hair, but it was quickly crushed as he realized the stranger was way too tall to be Hinata.

"Komaeda!" A voice yelled.

Hinata-kun!

Komaeda fought through the crowd in the direction he heard the voice come from.

Where is he?

"Komaeda!" The voice was much closer this time. Komaeda swung his head to the left and spotted Hinata standing by the wall. The display of worry was obvious to see on his face and bloomed a small flower of happiness inside Komaeda.

"Hinata-kun~" Komaeda walked up to Hinata and ruffled his hair lightly. Hinata's face was flushed as Komaeda removed his hand from Hinata's head. His hair was soft despite it's spiky appearance.

"T-that crowd is thick." Hinata commented. Komaeda nodded and bought a finger to his chin. "You'll need to hold onto my jacket." Komaeda decided.

"What?"

"To make sure I don't loose you again. We won't get separated if you hold onto my jacket." Komaeda explained, tucking both of his hands back into his pocket. "Or you can hold my hand." Komaeda grinned slyly as he watched Hinata's face redden. Hinata wordlessly grabbed onto the back of Komaeda's jacket.

Komaeda laughed and began to walk back through the crowd. His heart beat began to speed up as he felt Hinata's first through his jacket. He felt people staring, but he honestly didn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you so much for over 110 kudos, 1000 hits, and all the support you guys have given me! It really means a lot! School has started for me starting today. This may or may not affect the uploading schedule, but I'll try to stick with every Tuesday for now. The next update will be released on August 16th!


	8. Chapter 8

Hinata Hajime was blushing and he hated it.  
He wasn't even sure why he agreed to go to the party in the first place.

"Come onnnn, Hinata! All your friends are gonna be there!" Mioda had hollered as she tried to pull him out of his apartment. Her hands were latched onto Hinata's wrist as they both pulled opposite ways. "Listen, I'm really not feeling it Mioda. It's late at night," Hinata pulled harder to retrieve his wrist from Mioda. "And I highly doubt any of my friends will be there."

Mioda rolled her eyes. "You have Komaeda, Sonia and I. You'll feel super duper dupitty great!" She yelled, the strength of her grasp becoming stronger. Hinata's eyes widened and he stumbled at the mention of Komaeda, giving Mioda just the opening she needed.

"Yee aahhhh!" Mioda pulled with all of her might and pulled Hinata out of his apartment. "Komaeda is going to be there?" Hinata asked, rubbing his forehead. Mioda nodded and laughed. "I already told ya that!"

Now he was at the party, following Komaeda and holding onto the dark green of his coat. It was softer and thicker than it looked. He looked down, trying to hide his blush from the other party guests. The whole situation was embarrassing enough as it is. He didn't need people asking why his face was red. All he wanted was a cup of orange juice.

Hinata was so concentrated on looking down that he didn't notice when Komaeda had stopped. A hand pulled at his hair lightly and he looked up, still holding onto Komaeda's jacket.

"We're here, Hinata-kun." His voice was smooth and flowed like honey. Hinata took his hand away from Komaeda's jacket and rubbed both of his hands on his shirt. "R-right." He struggled to regain his composure. "I'm glad I didn't loose you~" He ruffled Hinata's hair lightly with his hand. Hinata blushed and his heart began to beat quickly.

"Oh look, orange juice!" Hinata said quickly, slipping away from Komaeda and the situation.

Why is my heart beating so fast? He just ruffled my hair.

A pitcher of orange juice sat on a royal blue tablecloth and swerved gently when Hinata picked it up. Hinata poured the orange juice halfway in the cup when he turned around. Komaeda was standing in the same spot, his hands in his pockets and mouth slightly frowning.

Is this just because I ducked away from his hand? It isn't that much of a big deal.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked, slowly walking up to Komaeda as if he was someone dangerous. "Ah, it's such a little trivial thing that someone like you shouldn't have any interest in it. I can't believe someone as hopeful as you would be concerned with how I'm feeling." Komaeda began laughing, his laugh dry and coarse.

Hinata's eyes narrowed and he put his drink down to shove Komaeda against the wall. "Don't say that about youself." He whispered, standing on the tips of his toes to be the same height as Komaeda. A wild smile appeared on his face along with a hazy blush as he looked into Hinata's eyes. "I'm glad that you care so much about trash like me..!"

Hinata let go of Komaeda and dropped his hands to his side. "I'm going." He said, his voice as icy as his actions. Komaeda's eyes widened as Hinata turned his back to him and began to walk away.

What kind of person says that about himself? I've told him time and time again that he shouldn't say that about himself. Stupid jerk.

"Hinata! Are you leaving so soon?" Sonia bounced up to Hinata as he dodged through the crowd. He stopped and rubbed his neck. "Yeah. I'm a bit tired." Hinata lied, trying to hide his rush to get out the door. "Well, I'm glad you could come." She folded her hands in front of her. "We should hang out more!"

"Yep." Hinata said trying to end the conversation. He took another step in the direction of the door, hoping Sonia would take the hint. He scanned the crowd for a head a white hair, but found none. "Bye Sonia!" Hinata waved and slipped away before she could respond.

I hate running away from Sonia like this, but I need to go in case Komaeda comes up and says something stupid again. Why did that have to happen?

I wish I hadn't shoved him against the wall.

Hinata spotted the dark oak of the door he had entered through and opened it. The cool night air greeted him along with the thin layer of snow on the ground. He wished he had bought a jacket. Shivering, Hinata closed the door behind him.

It was peaceful and thousands of stars lit the world above him. His warm breath was visible.

Hinata remembered the vivid smile Komaeda had given him. It had looked like the cloud-haired man had one the lottery seven times over.

He stepped foward, standing in Sonia's front yard. He looked at the night sky for what seemed like a lifetime.

"Hinata-kun."

Hinata's heart pounded in his head as he turned around to face the voice, even though he already knew who it was. Only one person he knew had a voice like that.

Komaeda's hands were in his pockets, his jacket blowing slowly to the right in the wind. His eyes were glazed over, a small smile on his face. Hinata was silent as he stared at Komaeda, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry for pushing-"

"No Hinata-kun, don't apologize to me." Komaeda opened his mouth again, as if he was about to say that he didn't deserve it. He clamped it shut. "I'm sorry for saying those things about myself around you. It's a force of habit." Komaeda took a step closer to Hinata as he spoke.

Hinata sighed shook his head. "Alright, Komaeda. Just please," His eyes widened as Komaeda stepped forward so they were sharing the same breathing space. "Don't do that again. Please."

"Alright, Hinata-kun." Komaeda leaned foward and left the ghost of a kiss on Hinata's cheek. Komaeda stepped backwards and then began to walk to his car, leaving Hinata flustered and confused in the fog of stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ψ(｀∇´)ψ sorry for that cliffhanger!  
> I guess you guys will just have to find out what happens next in the next update on August 23rd!  
> Thank you guys so much for all the support. You are all the best! Have a great day~  
> Also ohmygoodness the future arc is really heating up eeee


	9. Chapter 9

It has been four days and twelve hours since Hinata has last seen Komaeda.

It has been four days and two hours since his heart has fluttered the fastest it has in his entire life.

TO NANAMI CHIAKI:12:37 AM: Nanami, I need to talk to you about something.

TO NANAMI CHIAKI:2:43 AM: Nanami please

TO NANAMI CHIAKI:4:00 AM: i'll be at the arcade at 10:00

TO NANAMI CHIAKI:4:01 AM: please be there

Hinata leaned against an arcade machine and he rubbed his eyes. The lack of sleep the past nights had completely exhausted him. He snapped out of his drowsiness as the arcade machine he was leaning on vibrated and lit up with flashing lights and victory noises.

"Hey, hey." Nanami stood in front of the arcade machine. Her name was displayed in all five high score spots. Hinata looked at her light pink hair and glazed eyes, reflection of the arcade game visible. "Oh, how long have you been here Nanami? I didn't even notice you arrive." Hinata walked up to stand next to her as she started another game. "I just got here. You seemed pretty tired so I left you alone." She brushed her hair out of her face and began moving the joystick a faster intensity.

Hinata nodded. That was understandable, as he had been dazed the whole time he was at the arcade. The only thing he could think about was Komaeda leaning in, the warmth of his breath of his cheek fighting the cold. The soft brush of Komaea's lips against Hinata's cheek.

It sent chills up his spine.

He glanced around to see if anyone was around them before speaking. He leaned close to Nanami and sighed."So a while ago.." He began, telling her the story of him meeting Komaeda, the two lunch outings, and then finally the party. Her eyes blinked slowly as her character died and she looked up at Hinata. "I wish I wasn't asleep when you first met him." She whistled lowly. "Do you think he likes you?" She asked, her hands still on the machine.

Hinata swallowed and bit his lip. "I'm sure it's just a way of showing his friendship." He said quickly, rubbing his neck. Nanami tilted her head."I don't think people show their affection that way... probably."

"But he's...different from most people." Hinata looked down to his feet and then back to Nanami. Nanami smiled softly started walking over to a two player street fighter arcade game and waved Hinata over to it. She slid her money into it and the game started up. They stood next to each other and moved their characters to fight. He knew he was going to lose, but it was worth a try. "It's true that Komaeda acts different from most people, but I don't think he would have a different way of showing his affection." Nanami's fighter knocked Hinata's on the ground. He cursed under his breath and made his fighter get to his feet. "Maybe so." His said slowly and then changed the topic, not wanting to talk about Komaeda anymore. He occupied Hinata's thoughts enough as it was.

❁ 

Hinata's room was as dark as the rest of his apartment. Nanami slowly pushed the door open. She scanned the room, looking for him. Her eyes rested on a lump underneath Hinata's bedsheets. She had texted him and called, but he had never picked up. 

"Hey there, Hinata." Nanami stood above Hinata's bed and gently pulled on the covers. She frowned as she saw the crumpled white of his usual shirt. He was still in the clothes he had worn two days ago when they had met at the arcade.

Hinata looked up to Nanami, wondering on how she had even entered his apartment. "Hey." Hinata sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry if I woke you up." Nanami said as she sat down on the side of his bed. Hinata shook his head. "It's okay. It's not like I'm losing any sleep." He grinned at Nanami's blank face. "You've not left your apartment."

"Yeah."

"What's bothering you?" Nanami pulled on her backpack strap and smiled reassuring at him. "I want to see Komaeda again." Hinata looked down and Nanami giggled slightly. "Then do it." She said softly.

"But what if he doesn't want to see me."  
"I see you're forgetting who he kissed. Face him with confidence, Hinata." Nanami grinned as Hinata's face lit up. She had given him the small push he needed.

Hinata blushed and looked away. "Come with me?" He asked, smiling at his friend. Nanami nodded and her eyes glowed with happiness for her friend. "Are you just going to talk to him?" She asked. Hinata shrugged. "Yeah, but it's Komaeda. You never know what stupid thing he's going to say."

He swung his legs to the side of his bed and stood up. "We're going now?" Nanami stood up and swung around her backpack around so she could dig inside it. "If that's fine with you." Hinata stepped through the doorway out of his room and turned a sharp left into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror.

His hair was a mess, spiky angles poking up almost everywhere.

Stupid hair.

After what seemed like forever, his hair was finally calmed down.

His green eyes stared back at him in the mirror and he took a deep breath.

'All I'm doing is getting a latte. And seeing maybe Komaeda. I'm definitely going see Komaeda. Maybe the kiss is something he does to his friends.'

'Maybe.'

Hinata flattened his shirt and stepped out of the bathroom. Nanami was spread out on his couch tapping away at a game on her pink handheld. He walked over and sat down next to her. He opened his mouth, but was quickly cut off.

"It'll be okay, alright? All you have to do is just talk to him. You have the power to talk to him about anything." Her gaze was unmoving from her game as she spoke. She tapped the power button at the top of her handheld and put it in her pink cat backpack.

Nanami stood up and held out her hand to help Hinata up. He took it and took to his feet. On his way to the front door, he stopped and looked back at Nanami. "What time is it?" He asked, laughing dryly. He wasn't about to go running over at 2:00 am to go to a closed coffee shop. "How did you get in here as well?"

"It was 2:30 when I arrived, so it should be about 2:50. I think. You gave me a key." She puffed out her cheeks defensively. "Let's go." Hinata flung open the door, his nerves flying higher than a bird.

'That idiot better be working today.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the support! Writing this is so much fun. Next chapter is going up on Tuesday the 30th of August!  
> See you there~


	10. Chapter 10

Hinata blinked in surprise of the emptiness of the coffee shop that greeted him. Sonia was cleaning off the tables while Komaeda had his back turned to Hinata as he worked behind the counter. He coughed awkwardly, trying to get their attention. Sonia was the first person to look up, while Komaeda didn’t even turn around to look at Hinata.

“Good evening, Hinata! And your friend!” Sonia called, waving her free hand as the other one was busy wiping down a table. Hinata smiled and walked up to her, Nanami following close behind.

Hinata glanced at Komaeda’s back, slightly irked that he didn’t turn around to greet him, much less acknowledge his existence. Nanami stood next to Hinata and looked at Komaeda.  
“Hey Sonia.” Hinata said in reply as he forced his gaze away from Komaeda. “Who’s this friend you bought with you?” Sonia tilted her head as she looked at Nanami. Nanami slowly waved at Sonia and then looked up to Hinata.

“I’m…um…Nanami Chiaki.” Nanami pulled her hood up over her head as she spoke. Hinata glanced to where Komaeda had been standing before, only this time he wasn’t there.

'Where did he go?'

“Wonderful! I am Sonia Nevermind! It is a pleasure to meet you, Nanami.” Sonia clapped her hands together merrily and provoked a small smile out of Nanami. “Fortunately, you came in at just the right time. We’ll be closing up soon, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t order a drink.” She turned in the direction of the counter. “Komaeda!” Sonia put her hands on her hips when the distinct lack of the barista was apparent. She looked over to Nanami and Hinata and they both shrugged.

“Last I saw him he was behind the counter. Where could he have gone?” Hinata asked, feeling his voice waver on the border of passive and aggressive.

'Does he hate me? No, I did nothing wrong. He can’t.'

Sonia folded her arms looking slightly downcast.

“I have a question for you.” She asked, her tone going serious. “Komaeda has not been himself lately. He is nice to the customers as usual, but…” She swallowed. “It seems more forced than natural. Like every one that walks in is just another chore for him. He snapped at Fukawa too. At the beginning of each day he would go in back room and mutter how he wasn’t worthy and that he should have never overstepped some kind of boundary.” She sighed and Hinata felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She never asked to get stuck in this situation. “Do you know if anything has happened to him recently? He’s my friend and I really would not like him to be upset about anything.” She asked, her voice cracking.

Nanami spoke before Hinata could, her voice clear and confident. She placed her hand on Sonia’s shoulder. “It will be okay. I’m sure he’s just going through something right now. Give it time and I’m positive he’ll return back to normal.” Nanami swung her head back to Hinata, her eyes almost glowing with action.

“Where do you think Komaeda is right now?” Hinata scanned the coffee shop one more time in case Komaeda had popped up again. “If I had to guess, it would probably be the back room.” She pointed to a door behind the counter.

Hinata skirted through the tables until he was at the front counter. He entered it through the opening to the left of the counter. “Be careful Hinata. He’s really not himself right now.” Sonia piped up as his hand wavered over the doorknob to enter the room. He swung his head back and nodded bluntly.

'He better not be blaming himself for this.'  
'And if he is? What will you do, Hajime? You know he’s fine one moment and crazy the next.'  
'It still doesn’t change the fact that he’s my friend.'  
Hinata turned the door handle and opened the door. The light from the coffee shop slid into the darkness of the back room. Hinata would have probably closed the door, drawing the result that nothing was in the room. However, the small movement of white caught his eye. In the left corner of the room, he made out the shape of Komaeda leaning against the wall.

“You should really turn on the lights in here. I almost couldn’t see you.” Hinata stepped inside the room and began feeling against the wall for a light switch. “Don’t turn the light on, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda’s voice was rough, the previous smoothness in it that Hinata had heard the past times he was with Komaeda was gone.

“Why?” Hinata tried to open the door more to let more light in so he could find the light switch. “I don’t want a ray of hope like you to see me like this. It really wouldn’t be fair of me to be witnessed like this by you.” 

“What do you mean? Komaeda, where is the light?”

It was silent and Hinata’s frustration began to rise. He stepped closer to Komaeda’s silhouette. “Are you sure, Hinata-kun? It would be better just to leave me here to wallow in my pity-”

“Shut the hell up. I don’t care what you look like. I heard from Sonia how you’ve been and I need to talk to you. Where is the light?”

Komaeda sharply inhaled and then sighed. “Behind me.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Komaeda moved over to the right and Hinata put his hand on the wall to feel around.

“I don’t see it. Or feel it.” Hinata flinched as something warm laid over his hand and gently began guiding it. “It’s just over here, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda’s hand moved Hinata’s until Hinata felt a switch under his hand.

Chills jolted up Hinata’s spine as he felt the warm coziness of Komaeda’s hand on top of his. The touch was light and restrained like a dove trapped in a cage. When Komaeda withdrew his hand he couldn’t help but feel a little bit empty.

“Are you going to turn on the light?”

“What? Oh, yeah.”

Hinata flicked on the light and immediately looked over to Komaeda. The black button up shirt he wore while working was wrinkled, untucked, and unbuttoned around the neck. Dark circles were easily noticeable around his eyes, giving them a sense of hollowness and absence.

“Shit, Komaeda!” Hinata took a step towards him and Komaeda took a step backwards. “I’m sorry Hinata-kun, it’s not fair for someone as hopeful as you to see me in such a state.” He laughed dryly and wrapped his arms around himself.

“Then again, it wasn’t fair of me to take advantage of you like that. I truly am a piece of garbage!” He rambled, looking up at the one light in the ceiling. Komaeda ran his hands through his hair and then wrapped his arms back around himself.

“Stop it Komaeda. When did you ever take advantage of me- Oh.” Hinata remembered Komaeda’s lips brushing against his cheek. He remembered how his heart had soared at that moment in time. 

Komaeda began laughing again and stepped father back from Hinata until he was up against the wall behind him. His eyes were shadowed and swirled with darkness.

“Stop. Komaeda you need to stop.” Hinata repeated, his voice shaking.

“Stop doing what, Hinata-kun? If I’m doing anything to annoy you, I’m extremely sorry.”

“If you were sorry, you would stop doing this. Stop treating yourself like trash. How many times do I have to tell you? Also,” He took his pointer finger and prodded Komaeda’s chest. “Who told you that you took advantage of me?”

Komaeda blinked in surprise and his laughter stopped. His grip around himself loosened and his arms fell to his side. “But I did.” He whispered as Hinata took another step closer to Komaeda.

“Listen to me. You didn’t take advantage of me. If you did I wouldn’t be here right now.” Hinata hesitantly reached out and put his hand on Komaeda’s shoulder. Komaeda’s eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights. He blinked owlishly as he looked down to Hinata’s hand and then to Hinata.

“You did what your heart told you to do. There’s nothing wrong with that, okay? Stop blaming yourself for what happened.”  
“Are you sure?”

Hinata nodded slowly as he moved his right hand to dust a lock of Komaeda’s hair out of his eyes. “I’m sorry for not talking to you after what happened. I take full blame, I was just confused.” His words were quick and rushed. Komaeda’s eyes widened and a splash of pink was visible on his cheeks.

“Don’t apologize when it’s clearly my fault.”

Hinata sighed exhaustedly and threw his hands up in the air.

'This idiot.'

Hinata took his hand off Komaeda’s shoulder and slowly reached with both hands for Komaeda’s left hand. He guided it to the middle of his outstretched hand and then put his other hand on top of it, fully enclosing Komaeda’s hand between them.

“It’s not your fault Komaeda. Seriously.” Hinata whispered, looking up into the depths of the light green expanse of Komaeda’s eyes.

Komaeda slowly lifted his free hand and put it on top of Hinata’s. “Alright, Hinata-kun.”

❁ 

“What do you think they are doing in there?” Sonia asked when she and Nanami were sitting down in one of the booths. Nanami shrugged and then smirked. “Who knows.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Not much to write here except for the fact that next Saturday I'm going to Sacanime in Chiaki Nanami cosplay. Also I'm so done with the new episodes being delayed like wHY FUNIMATION. Also theres a glitch going on and its not displaying my 10th chapter in the chapter count. I'm trying so very hard to fix it. Anyways, next chapter will be up on the 6th of September! Thank you so much for all the support, you guys are the best<3


	11. Chapter 11

Hinata's inhale was terribly concealed as Komaeda put his hand on top of Hinata's. It was warm, like a small fire glowing beneath his hand. "If it is not my fault, may you forgive me for disappearing so suddenly?"

"Huh?" Hinata looked up absently. Komaeda laughed quietly. It was obvious that his friend had been lost in thought. "May you forgive me for disappearing back here earlier? It was so rude of someone like me to do.." He trailed off, a prick of shame in his voice.

Hinata started laughing and Komaeda quickly pulled his hands away from Hinata's.

'Did I do something wrong? Is it absurd for me to ask that of Hinata-kun?'

Hinata's laughter silenced as Komaeda's hands made their way back into their pockets. For a second, Komaeda could of sworn he saw a flicker of disappointment in Hinata's eyes. "I'm very sorry for asking-" Komaeda began, looking down at his shoes.

"I was just laughing at you asking for me to forgive you for coming back here. Honestly, you don't need to ask for something like that. I'm your friend, friends don't hold grudges over little things like that." He smiled reassuringly to Komaeda, making his own heart leap just a little.

"A-ah. Okay. Thank you for teaching me, Hinata-kun!"

'I'm so lucky for Hinata-kun to consider me his friend!'

Hinata looked at the door and took a step towards it. He rested his hand on the handle and he looked back to Komaeda for permission to leave. Komaeda nodded and Hinata opened the door.

"Hinata, Komaeda!" Sonia was up at a moments notice and bounded over to the two of them happily. A girl with pale pink hair hair followed slowly behind, her attention glued to a game system.

'Ah, it's the girl who was here the first time Hinata-kun came here.'

Sonia pushed a lock of her golden hair behind her ear as she merrily bounced up to Komaeda and Hinata. "Komaeda, how are you feeling?" Her face displayed genuine concern as she spoke. "Much better. I'm sorry for acting the way I did." He patted her head. Hinata's subtle smile faded and he walked up to the other girl, looking irritably at Komaeda. "Nanami, meet Komaeda." Komaeda smiled happily at the Nanami. "Komaeda, this is Nanami. I've been best friends with her since high school."

Nanami looked up from her game to wave hello to Komaeda. "It's nice to meet you, Komaeda." Her pink eyes flashed and Komaeda waved back. "The pleasure is all mine, Nanami." Komaeda extended his hand to the girl and she took one hand off her game to shake Komaeda's hand.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a question." Sonia clapped her hands together and everyone was looking at her. "Would anyone be interested in coming over to my house once Komaeda and I close down the shop for today? It would be a great way for Komaeda and I to get to know Nanami." She smiled kindly to Hinata, Komaeda, and Nanami.

"Okay." Nanami put her game into her backpack and folded her arms. "I need to ride in someone's car though. Hinata and I walked here." Hinata murmured in agreement and stepped away from Komaeda's side to Nanami's.

"I would be happy to offer a seat in my car to both of you." Komaeda pulled his car keys out of his pocket and twirled them on his finger. "Nanami can ride in my car and Hinata can ride in yours!" Sonia made the executive decision and outstretched her arm in command. "I didn't even say if I was going yet." Hinata piped up. Nanami blinked at him. "Do you really have anything better to do?"

 

❁

The ride to Sonia's was quiet. Komaeda would glance over at Hinata every now and then to see what he was doing. The first time he was looking out the passenger window, the second time he was looking out the window, and the third time he was looking at Komaeda. His mouth was open as if he was going to say something as Komaeda looked over.

"Komaeda, about what happened at the end of the party at Sonia's-"

"I don't think this is a good discussion to have while I'm driving, Hinata-kun." Komaeda cut him off quietly. He hated himself for doing so, but it would be easier for him to focus his thoughts on what to say if he wasn't driving.

"Right." Hinata's voice sounded put off and he turned back to stare out of the passenger window.

He wasn't entirely sure why he had kissed Hinata at Sonia's. Maybe it's because he looked so vulnerable at that moment. Or that Hinata had cared enough to tell Komaeda to stop talking about himself like that. Maybe it's because his heart jumped just a little bit at the fact that Hinata had cared.

Komaeda pulled into Sonia's driveway behind her car. "We're here." Komaeda unlocked the car doors and they both got out their respective sides. Komaeda closed his door and waited for Hinata to close his door before locking the car.

Their footprints padded lightly on the path through Sonia's front yard. Snow lay all around the path but none was actually on the path itself. Komaeda looked down to Hinata as he walked next to him. Komaeda raised an eyebrow as he noticed Hinata shivering. He wasn't wearing a jacket.

"Stop for a minute, Hinata-kun?" Komaeda asked. Hinata stopped next to Komaeda and he slid his jacket off his arms. He moved in front of Hinata and draped it over his shoulders. "You don't need to do this." Hinata protested quietly. "You'll be cold without this." Hinata began to slide Komaeda's dark green coat off his shoulders.

"It's okay, I don't get cold easily." Komaeda began walking again before Hinata could protest once more. Something warm brushed up against his arm and he looked down to see Hinata wearing the coat but pressing the side of the coat against him as he walked.

Komaeda sighed and shook his head. They walked up the front steps to Sonia's house and the door opened simultaneously. "You guys took a while." Sonia opened the door up wider to let them both in. Nanami smile grew a bit wider as she looked at Hinata and then to Komaeda.

Hinata quickly took off Komaeda's coat and handed it to him as he noticed Nanami staring at it, his face red. Komaeda bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing and took his jacket and put it back on. "So what are we going to do?" Hinata looked around the mansion, his eyes wide.

"I was thinking of putting on a movie. What do all of you think?" Sonia led them all into her living room. A large television hung on the wall in front of the largest couch Komaeda had ever. It could easily fit four people.

"I'm okay with that." Nanami yawned in mid-sentence. "Sure." Hinata looked up to Komaeda. "I'm happy with doing anything you would all want to do!" Komaeda walked over to the couch and sat against the right arm of the couch. "What should we watch?" Sonia asked as Hinata sat down next to Komaeda. "I'm okay with anything." Nanami sat down on the other side of Hinata.

Sonia looked over to Komaeda and Hinata who both stated they were okay to watch anything.

And that was how they ended up watching a documentary on the occult.

About an hour in, something warm landed on Komaeda's shoulder. He looked over and smiled to himself. Hinata was asleep and breathing peacefully on his shoulder. Komaeda blushed and looked over to Sonia and Nanami. Nanami at one point had pulled out her handheld and Sonia was absorbed in her documentary.

"Sorry, Hinata-kun." Komaeda whispered before he kissed the top of Hinata's head. He leaned his head on top of Hinata's and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for fluffy moments!  
> Writing this chapter was super fun! It was a bit hard to find time with my busy weekend, but ayyy I found time! The next chapter will be uploaded on September 13th  
> Thank you all so much for all the amazing comments. I really love looking over them and reading them. If you want a response, you have a greater chance for a response the earlier you comment. I read over every comment and they all make my day and push me foward to become a better writer (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ  
> See you next time!


	12. Chapter 12

Hinata leaned against Komaeda, his eyes closed and wanting to sleep. Faking sleep was a terrible way to get closer to someone, yet here Hinata was doing it. Komaeda shifted when he made contact with his shoulder and Hinata’s heart leaped. He thought the other was going to push him away. Instead, he felt soft lips touch his head in a kiss.  
“I’m sorry, Hinata-kun.”  
Hinata almost opened his eyes and sat up to tell the fluffy-haired man not to be sorry. To tell him that it was okay and he shouldn’t regret his actions like that. Hinata stopped himself, hesitant if the other had found out he was not asleep. Would Komaeda be mad if Hinata was not asleep? Probably not. Komaeda would just blame himself for it. He felt Komaeda rest his head on top of his own and he blushed.

‘Please don’t let him look at my face right now.’

Komaeda’s breathing slowed, signifying his decent into sleep. The occult movie played loudly and every now in then he would hear a small squeal of excitement from Sonia. He found the movie a little bit too disturbing for him and he wondered if Komaeda thought the same. What type of movies did Komaeda like?

Thinking about trivial little things, Hinata fell asleep.

❁

Nanami stood over the two sleeping boys and smiled happily down at them. Hinata really did look happy and so did Komaeda. The movie had finished and the duo had appeared to have fallen asleep long before the end. Nanami didn’t really blame them, Sonia was the only one who truly enjoyed the documentary to a full extent. Hinata had his arms wrapped around Komaeda’s arm, his head resting on Komaeda;s shoulder and Komaeda’s head resting on Hinata’s.

‘They’re adorable.’ Nanami mused to herself. “Don’t wake them.” Sonia said softly, walking up to Nanami with a glass of water in her hand. “I do not think that Komaeda has been sleeping very well. They can spend the night and of course the offer is open to you too. There is a guest bedroom upstairs.” Nanami nodded. “Thank you, Sonia.” Before going up to the room, she glanced over to the opposite couch. A blanket was folded neatly to the side. Nanami grabbed it and draped it open the sleeping bundle of Komaeda and Hinata.

“Goodnight, Hinata and Komaeda.”

❁

Hinata woke up, his head fuzzy and heavy from deep sleep. He shifted awkwardly under what seemed to be a weight of some kind and briefly wondered how something this heavy could have gotten in his bed. A lock of white hair came into his vision and he remembered. He remembered leaning against Komaeda the night before, him kissing his head, and falling asleep on him.

It was enough to make him blush.

“Hinata-kun?” The weight shifted off of his head.

Ignoring Komaeda, Hinata closed his eyes tiredly and nuzzled into the warm object he was sleeping against. He made a dull mental note to ask Sonia where she got such amazing pillows in the back of his mind. It was so soft. Hinata tightened his arms around it and sighed contently, the remains of slumber slowing his thought process.

“Hinata-kun.” Komaeda repeated, his voice growing more urgent. Hinata scowled. This was the most comfortable he had been in weeks. He didn’t need Komaeda to- Wait, why did Komaeda’s voice sound so close?

Hinata fully opened his eyes to find himself looking at the green of Komaeda’s jacket that covered his arm, and that so happened to have his own arms wrapped around it. Komaeda was flushed, almost his entire face was a light pink. He calmly looked down at Hinata and smiled. “Good morning, Hinata-kun” He sang softly.

Fully woken up, Hinata yawned and unwrapped himself from Komaeda. He sat up, rubbed his neck, and looked the other boy square in the eye. They looked at each other, their cheeks dusted with rose. “Sorry for waking you up.” Hinata looked down to Komaeda’s arm and suddenly wished he didn’t break the silence. “And um, that.” Hinata said slowly as he pointed to Komaeda’s arm. “I do weird stuff when I sleep.” He said quickly when Komaeda didn’t reply.

Komaeda blinked and opened his mouth to reply but was quickly cut off by the need to yawn instead. Komaeda looked better than he had the day before. The light in his eyes had returned and his smile was real and full of happiness. The Komaeda who had shut himself in the darkness had disappeared.

“Don’t worry about it, Hinata-kun! We can’t control what we do in our sleep.” His pale green gaze focused on the top of Hinata’s head for a second too long. Hinata ran a hand through his hair and looked away before looking back.

“Hey Komaeda, I still think we really need to talk about what happened at the party-“

“Good morning!” Sonia called as she walked down the stairs from the second floor. Hinata bit his lip in annoyance and Komaeda flashed a helpless glance at him. The topic would have to wait for another time. Standing up, he shot an apologetic look at Hinata and walked over to Sonia. “Thank you so much for having us over, Sonia.” Hinata was close behind him as he stood in front of Sonia.

“Hey, hey.” Nanami slid down the railing of the stairs and hopped off at the bottom. She thanked Sonia and grinned slyly to the side at Hinata. Hinata raised his eyebrows in question and she looked away. “Is it okay if we do the same car arrangement we did yesterday?” She asked, tugging on the straps of her pink backpack.

“Sure. If Komaeda is okay with it.” Komaeda nodded to Sonia and began walking to the front door, Hinata trailing behind like a baby duck. “Thank you so much Sonia. I’ll try to be at Hope’s tomorrow, okay? See you later.” Hinata waved goodbye and stepped out the door behind Komaeda. “See you later!” Sonia called, waving energetically.

Komaeda shut the door and they walked to his car. The sky was overcast with only a slight chill in the air. It had snowed the night before, and the path they were walking on hadn’t been cleared off yet. “Don’t you have to get to work?” Hinata asked. Komaeda shook his head. “Off on Sundays.”

“Does that mean the shop is closed on Sundays?”

“Yeah. Sonia’s calling up the owner soon to see if we can hire just a few more employees. Sonia and I could handle it in the past, but now more and more people are coming in.”

“That’s great that you have more customers.”

Komaeda unlocked his car and they slipped inside. Komaeda started up the car and Hinata narrowed his eyes when Komaeda started driving without asking his address. They had been to his apartment building together a long time ago, how could Komaeda possibly remember?

Komaeda turned on the radio and drove in silence. “Hey, you missed a turn. “ Hinata said, shifting around in his seat to watch the road they should have went down slowly disappear into the distance. “Hinata-kun, I never said we were going to your house first.” Komaeda said teasingly, making Hinata feel foolish. He had automatically assumed that Komaeda was going to drop him off first. It had never occurred to him that he might have errands to do first.

They drove on for another twenty minutes, trees whizzing by as Komaeda passed them. He made a sharp right turn into a parking lot and parked in the leftmost space. “Come with me.” Komaeda said softly and he opened his car door to get out. Hinata stepped out of the car and found himself looking at a frozen pond.

Snow lay all around the pond and stopped where the ice began. “This is beautiful, Komaeda.” Hinata walked to the front of the pond, the snow crunching beneath his feet. Komaeda was right beside him as they stared at the pond. “I wanted to share it with you, Hinata-kun.” Hinata turned to Komaeda and smiled at him.

“Thank you, Komaeda.”

Komaeda moved a bit closer to Hinata, his arm brushing against Hinata’s. “It would seem it’s time for me to say what I couldn’t at the party.” Hinata looked up in surprise at Komaeda. He hadn’t expected Komaeda to bring that up here.

Komaeda stepped in front of Hinata, a slight smile on his face as he bought his hand to Hinata’s chin. He tilted his head upwards and leaned in.

Komaeda kissed Hinata in front of the frozen pond below the overcast sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAY  
> Thank you so much for reading all the way here! I love all the constant support, you guys are the best! Next chapter will be up on the 20th of September!


	13. Chapter 13

The kiss was gentle. Komaeda raised his hand to cup Hinata's cheek and broke apart to lift Hinata's head up before going in again. Komaeda's lips were soft and kind, with a special fire to them. Hinata's arms slowly snaked across Komaeda's waist, gripping the back of his jacket and holding on like it was his lifeline. Perhaps it was his lifeline. Komaeda was the only thing that entertained his thoughts.

Komaeda broke apart, smiling at Hinata. "Hinata-kun." Komaeda whispered, slowly running his thumb across Hinata's cheek, splashing it with color. Hinata didn't know what to even say in response. He instead moved forward and rested his head on Komaeda's chest. A warm hand went up to Hinata's head and began to comb through his hair. "You really are quite hopeful." Komaeda mused, wrapping his other hand around Hinata's waist.

"Thanks." Hinata murmured, into his shirt. Komaeda smelled of cinnamon and fresh apples. "And you really aren't trash. No matter how many times you say it, it's not going to ever be true. You are a wonderful, determined human being who doesn't stop until he's achieved his goal. You're kind and sincere, treating others with the most sincere patience. I don't know anyone else like you, Komaeda." Hinata looked up to Komaeda, his cheeks dusted with scarlet.

Komaeda smiled happily. The smile meant Hinata's whole world. It meant that Komaeda was listening to what he was saying. Komaeda tilted Hinata's face upward with his hand and went in again for another kiss, this one more hungry than the last two. They broke apart and Komaeda opened his mouth to say something when a turned in the parking lot.

Are you flipping kidding me right now.

Hinata hesitantly pulled himself off of Komaeda. Komaeda glared at the car parking right next to his. "Just my luck." Komaeda murmured, looking at Hinata an apology written all over his face. "Lets go, Hinata-kun." Komaeda took Hinata's hand and led him to his car. Hinata blindly followed him as Komaeda pulled him along. Two people got out of the car, a tall silvered haired man and a strong looking man with greenish hair. The stronger man appeared nervous about something as the silver man followed. Hinata smiled kindly at the green haired man, who glared at him in return.

Once inside the car, Hinata was awfully conscious of just how fast his heart was beating. It was racing, and Hinata was pretty sure in a constant with all the other hearts in the area, his would be the fastest. He was aware of every small move Komaeda made next to him in the driver's seat.

The car ride back was short and silent. The only sounds that Hinata could hear was the thumping in his chest. His lips relished all of the remaining heat on them. "Hinata-kun, we're here." Komaeda said quietly. Hinata looked up and saw that Komaeda had pulled up at the front of Hinata's apartment building. "Oh. Okay"

Hinata looked at Komaeda before getting out of the car and took his hand for a few seconds before letting go and getting out of the car. Komaeda rolled his window down as Hinata stood in front of the apartment building. "Wait, Hinata-kun!" Hinata turned around to look back at Komaeda. "You forgot something." Komaeda said as Hinata walked forward.

Hinata raised his eyebrows. What did he forget? He was pretty sure he had everything he came with. "What?" Hinata asked, leaning down to the window. It was too late when Hinata realized what he "forgot." Komaeda winked and leaned forward out of the window to kiss Hinata. Hinata blushed and immediately pulled away. Komaeda laughed and held out his hand. He was holding a small piece of paper.

Hinata moved forward and took it, reading it. Numbers were scrawled onto the paper in elegant handwriting. "It's my number, Hinata-kun." Komaeda explained. "O-oh. Thanks. I'll see you later?"

"Definitely." And with that Komaeda drove away.

❁ 

Hinata was laying on his bed when it all sunk it. Komaeda had kissed him, and he had reciprocated. It was unlike anything he had felt before. He had girlfriends in the past, but their kisses were nothing like Komaeda's kisses. Komaeda's kiss made you felt like you were the most important thing in the world.

Was he the most important thing in the world to Komaeda? He didn't know. All he knew was that Komaeda was the most important thing to him. If Komaeda disappeared again, Hinata would look all over the world for him.

"Bzzt"

Hinata's phone vibrated on his nightstand. He picked it up and saw a text from a number he didn't know.

Unknown: Good evening, Hinata ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪  
Hinata: good evening  
Hinata: uh  
Hinata: who is this  
Unknown: Sonia (๑╹ω╹๑ )  
Hinata: oh, hey there  
Hinata: how did you get my number?  
Sonia: Nanami gave it to me（╹◡╹）

Oh, that made sense. For a minute he imagined Sonia texting all the numbers she could think of to find him.

Hinata: oh, okay  
Sonia: Anyways, I have to ask you a question  
Hinata: okay  
Sonia: Have you ever wanted to work at the happiest place on earth? ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ  
Hinata: are you offering me a job at disneyland?  
Sonia: Of course not! I'm asking you to come work with Komaeda and I at Hope's Coffee Shop ＼＼\\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

 

A job at Hope's Coffee Shop? Hinata wasn't so sure. He couldn't even make a coffee if he tried.

Hinata: im not so sure, im not very talented at making coffee...  
Sonia: We can teach youʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Why the hell not?

Hinata: sign me the hell up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading all the way here! Writing this was really hard for me, so I hope it's up to satisfaction!  
> The next chapter will be up on the 27th of September! See you there!


	14. Chapter 14

Komaeda laughed at Hinata's efforts to try to make a simple coffee. He had already messed three up, (Thank goodness it was only training.) and appeared to be on coarse to fail the fourth one. "Hinata-kun, maybe we should try something else? I wouldn't want to force you to do something you can't."

"Shush! I swear I'll get this one!" Hinata yelled just before he spilt water onto the coffee shop floor. Hinata slammed his fist on the counter. "Dammit!" Komaeda laughed at his anger. It was his first day in training and Komaeda had shut down the coffee shop early to make time for him and the new employee to learn the ropes.

"Yes! Good job, Yukizome!" Sonia cheered as she stood next to a girl with bright red hair and a steaming cup of coffee. Yukizome smiled and cheered. "Thank you, Sonia!"

They had found Yukizome after she was the first one to respond to their hiring fliers. She had seemed so excited and optimistic, Sonia practically screamed at Komaeda to accept her. Yukizome had excelled at everything they tested her in, while Hinata had more or less tried his best.

Hinata looked crestfallen as he stared at the puddle of water on the floor. Komaeda patted him on the head and smiled gently at him. Hinata looked up, his eyes wide. "You'll learn, now lets go get a towel and clean this up." Hinata's cheeks went red and he ducked out from under Komaeda's hand and to the back room.

Komaeda followed Hinata into the back room and remembered what had happened just a few days ago. He smiled to himself. It was amazing luck that someone, that Hinata, could care about him. He truly was a sign of hope! Even if Komaeda was just another piece of trash-

No. He wasn't supposed to think like that. Hinata told him not to, even if it's the truth.

"Will these work?" Hinata asked, holding up a few rags he had found when he was rummaging through the storage closet. "They will." Komaeda held open the door and Hinata thanked him before leaving the storage room. Komaeda followed him.

"Show me how well you can clean, Hinata-kun~"

Hinata leaned down on the ground and wiped up the water with the rags. When he stood up, the floor was dry. He looked over at Komaeda and pointed to the ground. "Hows that?" He asked.

"Well, you missed a spot..."

"What?"

"Just kidding, just kidding~"

"Asshole!"

Komaeda laughed at Hinata's scowl. Hinata laughed too and pushed Komaeda gently. "So does that mean I can actually do something?" Komaeda poked Hinata and looked up. "Hmm~ I don't know Hinata-kun. Cleaning is such an important job, I can't give that out to just anyone. I bet Yukizome would be an amazing cleaner." Hinata's smiled faded and he tugged on Komaeda's jacket. "So does that mean I don't get to work with you?" Komaeda blushed and he leaned down to whisper in Hinata's ear.

"You just got pranked, Hinata-kun~"

Hinata opened his mouth to yell at Komaeda and took a step forward. His foot slipped on the floor and he fell onto Komaeda. Komaeda wrapped his arms around Hinata as he stumbled back from shock. "I guess you did miss a spot."

'How lucky am I to catch Hinata!'

Komaeda nuzzled his nose into Hinata's hair. "Oh." He heard Hinata said as Komaeda held onto him. "You need to be more careful. It would be very bad if Hinata-kun got hurt." The warmth that Hinata gave off was unlike any other Komaeda had felt before. It was fierce yet tame in his arms.

"That was your fault." Hinata attempted to step back but Komaeda simply held onto him tighter. He could hear the ecstatic giggling of both Yukizome and Sonia in distance. "Don't move Hinata-kun, or you'll fall again. I can't have my trainee getting hurt on the job. What would we do without you?"

"Perfectly fine." Hinata mumbled, his arms dangling at his side. Komaeda kissed Hinata's head lightly and let him go. "I doubt we would be fine without your hope in the end."

❁ 

Hinata: all he always says about me is my hope!

Hinata: it gets annoying after a while

Nanami: I'm sure thats his way of complementing you

Nanami: Think about it

Nanami: He always says how much he loves hope

Hinata: what

Hinata: oh

Nanami: I need to go, a new chat room is starting.

Nanami: Lets talk later!

Hinata: okay, have fun with your chat room?

Hinata turned off his phone and leaned back into his couch. How was he hope? That didn't make any sense. How could anyone even be hope? It just didn't make sense to Hinata. Even if hope could be someone, why Hinata? As far as he was concerned, he was talentless. Another face in the crowd. His phone vibrated in his lap and he looked down to see a notification from Komaeda.

'Speak of devil.'

Komaeda: Hinata-kun!

Komaeda: You did great today!

Hinata: thanks :)

Komaeda: So as tomorrow is Sunday, I was wondering if you could come in to clean the tables during the rush hours. I will probably be at the cashier all day, so I won't have time to clean.

Hinata: ...you want me at the cashier?

Komaeda: I was going to ask you to clean

Komaeda: But I guess if you want to do the cashier

Hinata: I'll be there cleaning the tables then

Komaeda: Thank you so much Hinata-kun

Komaeda: Tomorrow will be such a hopeful day with you around!~

Hinata: See you tomorrow

Komaeda: Yes!

Hinata smiled down at his phone, blush highlighting his cheeks. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THAT THIS IS SO LATE  
> Okay, thank you all so much for sticking with me. My week was really flipping hectic. Unfortunately, I'm going to dely the next chapter to October 11th. I need to finish planning out where this story is going. Once again, I'm sorry this is so late. See you October 11th!


	15. Chapter 15

Fear ran through Hinata as he stood inside the coffee shop. It was twenty moments until it was go time. What would he do if he screwed up? Would Komaeda fire him? Would he get banned from the coffee shop? Would he get banned from being in Komaeda’s presence? No, of course not, that's stupid. Hinata was 95% sure the last two items on that list didn’t make any sense.

Hinata ran a hand through his spiky hair and looked down at it. He sighed and tried to slow his breathing. He needed to calm down, everything would be alright. Komaeda, Sonia, and Hinata all stood in front of Yukizome. Her orange hair was almost as vibrant as her attitude. Her hands were on her hips as she rallied her troops.

“Didn’t you hire her at the same time as me? How is she giving out orders right now?” Hinata whispered in Komaeda’s ear. Komaeda stood with his hands tucked in his black apron pockets. He shrugged and Yukizome frowned at Hinata and Komaeda. She strutted up to Hinata and stuck out her pointer finger and poked his nose.

“If you have something to say, please share it with the entire class!” She bit her lip. “I mean, er, coffee shop employees. Whispering is not a good habit, Hinata.” Yukizome scolded. Hinata sighed. She really was like a teacher. They might as well be her class at this point. Hinata rubbed his neck and looked down.

“Sorry about that, Yukizome. What I was saying doesn’t matter.” Yukizome sighed and shook her head. “Alright then, but please don’t do it again.” She put her hands on her hips again and stood confidently in front of Hinata, Komaeda, and Sonia.

“Yukizome, is it okay if I take the lead?” Sonia asked nicely, folding her hands neatly in front of her. Yukizome looked crestfallen as she realized her mistake. “I’m very sorry Sonia. At my old job I was used to being the only one to take initiative. I hope I didn’t come off as rude.” Komaeda perked up at the mention of hope, and Hinata patted the side of his shoulder while shaking his head and laughing quietly to himself. Trust Komaeda to always be present when hope comes into a conversation.

Sonia shook her head and smiled and Komaeda smiled supportively. “It’s completely fine Yukizome. Taking action is a lot better than doing nothing. You are an incredibly valuable asset to Hope’s Coffee Shop-”

“Sonia, forgive me for interrupting, but the shop opens in ten minutes. We need to get this meeting wrapped up soon. I would like to show Hinata something before we open for the day.” Komaeda cut in, glancing up at the clock.

“Ah, of course. Yukizome, you’ll be working behind the counter with me while Komaeda manages the cash register. Hinata, you’ll be cleaning off the tables as the customers leave. Does anyone have any questions?” Hinata felt a chill of apprehension run down his spine. His first day on the job, and it was a rush day of course.

“No questions? Alright! Let's do our best today! Remember, no matter how much a customer pushes the limits, we must try our very best to fulfill their wishes!” Sonia clapped her hands together, and then broke them apart to wave everyone off. Hinata bit his lip and looked at Yukizome. She was doing so well, and she had started on the exact day he had. How was she so much better? Yukizome was good at everything Sonia had tested her on. The only thing Hinata could do was clean with a rag.

“Hinata-kun?” Komaeda asked poking Hinata lightly. Hinata looked up at Komaeda and smiled at the sight of his friend. Komaeda’s white hair drifted into his face, perfectly complimenting his pale green eyes. Hinata found himself getting lost in those very same eyes. They reminded Hinata of small pools of water found in a rainforest.

‘He’s beautiful.’

“Hinata-kun? Did I do something wrong? If I did, I am very sorry. It’s so typical of someone like me to do something to offend someone like you.” Hinata shot him a tired look and Komaeda looked down on him in concern. “You didn’t do anything. Whats up, Komaeda?” Hinata asked.

Komaeda sighed in relief and ran a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and then opened one of them. “I think I need to show you something, if you would be willing to follow someone like me. I completely understand if you don’t want to though.”

“Cut the shit, Komaeda. What do you want to show me?” Hinata asked. Komaeda’s eyes widened in surprise as he lost his composure. He wordlessly grabbed Hinata’s sleeve and began pulling him to the back room. Komaeda opened up the door and gestured for Hinata to follow him. Hinata stepped into the room and jumped in response to the slamming of the door behind him.

“Really? Really? Really?” Hinata asked as he heard the giggling of two girls from the other side of the door. He tried to twisted the handle on the door and tried to push it open. Unsurprisingly, the girls were holding it shut on the other side.

“I thought we didn’t have time for this!” Hinata yelled. “We have seven minutes!” Sonia called from the other side of the door.

“Try to open the door! I’m sure the power of both you and Komaeda will be enough to open the door if you both try at the same time! You two both seem so strong!” Yukizome cheered. Hinata turned to Komaeda, who silently stood at the back of the room.

“Did you plan this?” Hinata asked, leaning onto the wall next to him. His voice quivered as he spoke. Dammit, he had hoped for his fear not to be noticeable. Komaeda shook his head in the dim light. Hinata closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing.

‘In, out. In, out. In, out. Out, in. Shit. In, out. In, out.’

Hinata opened his eyes as he felt something warm press up against him. Komaeda was against his side, looking at Hinata with a worried expression.

“Is everything okay?” Komaeda asked. The light in the back room flickered once, and then twice before continuing to give off uninterrupted light. “I'm fine.” Hinata replied, not wanting to cause any trouble for Komaeda. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Are you nervous?”

‘He sure as hell hit the bullet on the head.’

“Yeah.” Hinata replied, looking at Komaeda. He was dimly aware of his heart pounding beneath his skin, going faster and faster.

“Store opening in one minute, then we'll let you out!” Sonia yelled.

Komaeda frowned and then smiled as he looked into Hinata's eyes. “You'll do great Hinata-kun. You are hope.” He whispered, his voice slow and smooth. Komaeda leaned in and Hinata felt something soft touch his lips. He let out a murmur of surprise before returning the kiss.

Komaeda put his hands on Hinata's cheeks as he pressed him against the wall, kissing him slowly. These were meaningful kisses, full of emotion. Hinata wrapped his arms around Komaeda's neck, pulling him closer.

“Let's go!” Sonia slammed open the door and covered her mouth when she saw Komaeda and Hinata. Hinata pulled his mouth off of Komaeda's, his eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. Komaeda looked to Sonia, with a rather annoyed expression on his face.

Hinata’s head filled with worry. Would they get fired? Would Sonia never talk to him again?

Sonia sighed. “I should have expected this. Come on you two, we have to get ready now.” With that, Sonia walked out of view.

Hinata sighed in relief and pressed his head against Komaeda's chest. “Don't worry, Hinata-kun. Nothing will go wrong.” Komaeda whispered.

Hinata nodded and detached himself from Komaeda. 

“I believe in you, Hinata-kun. It will be a fantastic day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading all the way here! I have so much fun writing this, I really do. Thank you guys for all the support. The next update will be on Tuesday, October 18th. Did you guys see the new stuff added to the relationship section about Hinata on Komaeda's Wikipedia page??? I FLIPPED OUT LMAO  
> Have a wonderful week~


	16. Chapter 16

Hinata pushed open the door to welcome in the few people waiting outside for the shop to open. He flinched as three of the five people going through the door stepped on his foot, only one bothering to give a quick apology before hopping in line. Sighing, Hinata smiled at people as they walked by on the street, and every now and then one of them would turn to walk into the store. Hinata felt a burst of pride. He was the one bringing these customers in, not Komaeda, not Sonia, not Yukizome.

The coffee shop was now full of people bundled up in scarves and big coats. Hinata had stopped holding the door open as it began to snow. He had protested to Komaeda's constant pleading to stop at first, but had eventually caved in.

Hinata swept a few crumbs off the table with his rag. The minute he finished, eight different people all dived for the table at once. It was quite funny watching them all wrestle for the table. Eventually, a small girl had won by crying until the other customers gave her the table. She smirked and looked up at Hinata.

“What are you looking at, trash?” She taunted, erupting into a chorus of giggles as Hinata awkwardly walked away to a different table. He shook his head as he looked back at the girl who was still giggling.

_‘Why does this shop seem to only attract weirdos?’_

More and more people entered the coffee shop and barely anyone seemed to leave. It was filling up quickly, with next to no seats left for the newcomers. No one wanted to leave in the cold weather. Sonia and Yukizome placed drink after drink on the counter for people to collect. Komaeda frantically rang more people up at the cash register. Two kids ran around the shop, a chorus of laughter leaking out from them every time they stepped on Hinata's foot as they ran past him.

“Ma'am, please stop your kids from running around inside. It's awfully dangerous and I wouldn't want any of your kids to get hurt.” Hinata said as two more kids came zooming past him. The mom he was speaking to rolled her eyes and continued to type on her phone. Hinata sighed angrily and repeated himself, trying his best to sound calm and not lose his patience. The mom closed her app and looked up, her eyes dull and uncaring.

“Ma'am please.” Hinata tried to smile kindly but ended up flashing a rather creepy smile of happiness and anger in her face. The mom sighed and called her kids over before glaring at Hinata as he walked away. He zoned in on a empty table and wiped off the crumbs.

Hinata looked over to Komaeda who was flashing a dizzying smile at a customer. The person purchasing twirled her hair as she spoke. Irritation swelled up in Hinata's chest. She was obviously flirting, and Komaeda was buying into it! As she stepped away, Hinata noticed she slid a piece of paper onto the counter to Komaeda before walking away. Komaeda pocketed the slip of paper as soon as it was near him. He waved kindly to the girl as she winked at him and walked over to the other counter.

_‘What's his problem? Why is he buying into someone like her when I-’_

‘ _What am I to Komaeda?_ ’

The jealousy was gone, that was for sure. But what had replaced it? Fear? Doubt? Hinata wasn't sure. What exactly was Hinata to Komaeda? They had hugged and kissed. the kissing part is something Hinata was sure that friends don't do to each other.

Hinata stepped away from the table and looked at Komaeda.

‘ _Am I your hope? Or is it someone else?’_

  
❁

Hinata let out a holler of victory as the last customer closed the door to the shop. Sonia pulled the keys out of her apron and locked the door. Komaeda grinned. His smile really did look beautiful. It made his pale eyes glint with emotion and happiness.

It made Hinata's heart leap.

“We did it, Hinata-kun. You did such a wonderful job today, I don't deserve to work with someone like you!” Komaeda ruffled Hinata's hair, ignoring his obvious blush. Hinata blew out a short breath and nodded. He felt a stab of disappointment as Komaeda lifted his hand out of Hinata's hair.

“Can I try?” Hinata asked, looking up to the mop of white hair on Komaeda's head. Komaeda flashed him a questioning look and shrugged.

“Try what?”

“I want feel your hair. I swear it's not as weird as it sounds. It just looks so fluffy and nice-”

“Go ahead, Hinata-kun! I'm so honored~”

Hinata reached up and carefully took hold of a lock of Komaeda's hair. He rubbed it delicately between his two fingers. It was soft, like a long-haired cat. Hinata tried to imagine Komaeda with cat ears and quickly shot the idea out of his mind. That was one thing he never wanted to think about ever again.

Komaeda's hand reached up and moved Hinata's hand onto the top of his head. “Your hair is so soft. Honestly, it’s amazing. How is it like this?” Hinata asked as he took his hand away. Komaeda’s eyes darkened.

“Luck. I'm stuck with the stupid color, but I get wonderful texture instead. It just makes me even more painful to look at.” Komaeda mumbled. His white hair perfectly framed his face and complimented his eyes light colored eyes. Hinata shook his head. If anything, it was actually the opposite.

Komaeda put his hands into his pockets and looked around, waiting for Hinata to start a new conversation. “You know that isn't true.” Hinata replied, crossing his arms. Komaeda laughed hoarsely. Hinata stepped back, hurt that Komaeda would laugh at his opinion.

“Listen, I don't think you're ugly and neither did that girl! She gave you her number, didn't she? She was twirling her hair and everything!” Hinata yelled, stepping farther away from Komaeda. Komaeda's laughter silenced and he stared down at Hinata in surprise.

Komaeda rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a slip of paper with several numbers on it. He ripped it in half, and he was about to throw it in the trash can when Hinata ran over and grabbed his arm. He wanted Komaeda to throw away the number, yes. But he didn't want Komaeda to throw it away just because he said to. He didn't want to get in the way if Komaeda was actually interested in the girl. Komaeda looked down at Hinata, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Yes, Hinata-kun?”

Hinata's grip loosened on Komaeda's arm, yet he still kept them wrapped around there. “Listen, I don't think you should throw away that paper just because I bought it up. You should really keep it if you're interested.” Komaeda's eyes widened and he dropped the paper in the trash can. Hinata's hand dropped down to Komaeda's wrist as he ran over to the trash can and peered inside. Then he looked up, at a loss for words. A smile decorated Komaeda's face at Hinata's confused expression.

“Hinata-kun, flirting works well if it's something a customer tries to play. You can easily upsell them and make more money.” Komaeda moved his hand so that he could hold onto Hinata's hand that was previously wrapped around his wrist. He closed his fingers around Hinata's hand

“Did you do that with me, Komaeda?” Hinata countered weakly, looking Komaeda dead in the eye, his heart pumping loudly in his ears. He prayed that he would hear the answer he wanted to here. If he didn't, well, what would he do?

Komaeda stepped in close and ran a hand down Hinata's cheek and traced it down his jawline. “Hinata-kun, I don't think I could ever mess with a hope as great as yours.” He whispered. Komaeda's hand trailed to his chin and tilted it upwards. Hinata closed his eyes and felt the soft touch of Komaeda's lips on his. He wrapped his arms around Komaeda's neck and when they broke apart he stared into the light green depths.

‘ _What are we?’_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading all the way here! Writing this chapter was super fun, so I hope you all enjoyed it. The next chapter will be uploaded on October 25th. If you haven't already, please leave a kudos if you enjoyed it so far! It give me more fuel to write! Comments are also wonderful, I read them over and over again.  
> Have a wonderful day!


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a week since the rush at Hope’s Coffee. Hinata had thankfully improved at his job at cleaning off the tables, proving his worth as an employee of Hope’s Coffee Shop. Komaeda was thankful. The last thing he would want to do is fire Hinata. Then he would probably hate him!

The last thing Komaeda wanted was for Hinata to hate him. Hinata was simply overflowing with an extravagant hope far greater than anyone else’s. He made Komaeda’s day brighter by simply existing. He wished that Hinata could work seven days a week with him instead of four. Imagine that! More people would come in just to witness the hope that was Hinata.

Then again, Hinata’s hope was so special. It was a light glowing in the darkness. It was the brightest star in the night sky. Did he really want anyone else to see how hopeful Hinata was? What if someone took Hinata away? No, he wouldn’t let that happen. Hinata’s hope was too special to be misused and thrown away by someone. It was up to Komaeda to protect that hope. He wouldn’t let any despair tarnish Hinata’s hope.

It was another calm Thursday afternoon in Hope’s Coffee Shop. The shop was mellow and calm with the slight chatter of the few people littered around the tables. The phone in the corner of the counter rang and Sonia dashed over to it. Komaeda laughed quietly to himself at her hurry to get the phone. They were the only ones working, she must have forgotten her one competition for getting the phone, Yukizome, wasn’t here today.

Komaeda glanced at the door to make sure no one new had come in before he leaned against the counter to listen into the tidbits of the phone conversation.

“Hello? This is Sonia Nevermind of Hope’s Coffee Shop.”

“Yes, the two new employees are doing amazing. They really are valuable. I am glad we have them.”

Hinata’s smiling face flashed through Komaeda’s mind as Sonia mentioned the new employees. Hinata was the most valuable person in the world, he would give anything for him. Komaeda grinned slyly to himself.

“Komaeda? Wonderful as always!”

Sonia winked at Komaeda while the person on the phone continued talking to her. Her smile dropped, and Komaeda’s suspicions on who she was talking to were confirmed.

“Y-you’re coming to visit our location? It will be great to see you two again!”

“I see. Goodbye!”

Sonia slowly lowered the phone down from her ear and placed it down on the counter. She sighed and ran her hands through her wispy golden hair. Komaeda pointed to the phone to ask what had happened.

“Enoshima is visiting tomorrow. She’s going to be here all next week to see how we are operating as the most successful Hope’s Coffee Shop. She also wants to meet Yukizome and Hinata. She wants to make sure they are up to her expectations.” Sonia’s eyes dimmed and she played with the end of her hair.

_Not her. Anyone but her. Anything but her despair. Don’t let her come here._

The first time Komaeda had met Enoshima Junko was when he had applied for the job at Hope’s Coffee Shop. It was only when he had started talking to her that he had witnessed what true despair she really was. Her sister, Ikusaba Mukuro, wasn’t that bad of a despair on her own. Hell, if she wasn’t related to Enoshima she might have a powerful hope within her. But at the interview for the job, she was constantly drooling over her sister.

Komaeda knew that he just should have walked out of the interview the moment he detected the despair within Enoshima, but something inside him told him no. Something told him that if he worked close to despair, he would witness such fantastic hope.

Now it struck him. He would witness that hope!

Komaeda’s haunting laughter soared through the coffee shop, disturbing the tranquility of Sonia and the remaining customers. Sonia grabbed Komaeda’s shoulder, her face containing genuine concern for Komaeda. “What is wrong, Komaeda? You are frightening me and our lovely customers.” Sonia’s voice rose, her panic getting more and more obvious.

Komaeda shook his head and shrugged Sonia’s hand off his shoulder. “I’m so sorry for frightening you, Sonia. I just had the most grand idea! A showoff of hope and despair!” Komaeda waved his hands in the air as he spoke.

To see Hinata work with Enoshima watching over him! It was going to be grand to see if hope could operate under such extreme despair! It would, he was sure of it! Hope would win, because hope is absolute good!

❁

**Komaeda: Hinata-kun!**

**Hinata: oh hey**

**Komaeda: Are you willing to work on Friday this week? You’ll get paid for the day.**

**Hinata: lemme go check and see if i’m busy**

**Hinata: i can do it :)**

**Komaeda: Wonderful..!**

Hinata grinned at the texts Komaeda had sent him. He loved his job at Hope’s Coffee Shop. It gave him something to do, and he wouldn’t complain at the added bonus of seeing Komaeda.

**Komaeda: Oh yes, there is something else you should know.**

**Komaeda: The owner of Hope’s Coffee Shop will be arriving that day. She and her sister will be at the shop for the next week before they leave. I hope that won’t be a problem.**

**Hinata: sounds good :)**

**Hinata: see you tomorrow!**

Hinata turned off his phone and connected it to the charger for the night. The owner was going to be at the shop tomorrow. Hinata bit his lip to help calm his nerves. What if the owner didn’t like Hinata and fired him on the spot? What if the owner shut down the whole shop? No, that couldn’t happen. Hinata knew that this Hope’s Coffee Shop was the most successful out of the three. The owner couldn’t shut it down.

His phone flashed on in the corner of his vision. Picking it up, he saw he had a new text message notification.

**Komaeda: I’m looking forward to tomorrow.**

**Komaeda: I think you and Enoshima will get along wonderfully.**

**Komaeda: I don’t think she likes me.**

**Komaeda: But I hate her more than she would ever hate me.**

**Komaeda: Goodnight, Hinata-kun~**

A chill ran up Hinata’s spine as he read over the text messages that Komaeda had left him. The dread inside his stomach weighed him down from optimism about the next day. All he knew was that the sudden appearance of the owner of Hope’s Coffee Shop wasn’t good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading all the way here! Trouble is brewing, oooooooooooohhhhhh! Happy early Halloween everyone! I hope you all have a spooky day! The next chapter will be uploaded on Tuesday, November 1st! A kudos is always appreciated if you have enjoyed this so far. Have a great day!


	18. Chapter 18

Hinata’s world of sleep was abruptly shattered by the screeching of his alarm clock. It's shrieks were loud and impatient. Hinata reached his arm out and swatted in the air blindly until he hit the snooze button. Mumbling to himself, Hinata moved around in the bed sheets and closed his eyes in a weak attempt to go back to sleep.

  
_Why did I set the stupid thing to wake me up so damn early?_

  
The buzzing started again and Hinata opened one eye. He lazily moved his arm over the off button to turn the alarm off once more. It silenced immediately and he smiled to himself. He didn't have to work today, it's Friday. Tucking his arm back underneath the covers, he closed his eyes and snuggled up in the bedsheets, not once thinking about the nagging feeling that he was supposed to be doing something important.

  
It was a blissful two hour long sleep that definitely not should of happened. The dull buzzing noise of his phone vibrating on the floor woke him up this time. Hinata sat up and looked in the direction of the phone and rubbed his eyes. When he noticed it was lit up, he launched out of bed and picked up the phone call.

  
“Hajime,” He yawned. “Hinata here. What can I do for you this fine morning?” He said nonchalantly.

  
“What about come to work?” Sonia blasting angrily from the other side. Hinata flinched at the unexpected anger.

  
Silence and about twenty seconds of thinking was all it took for Hinata to remember. He was supposed to go in today! Komaeda had asked him last night. Guilt ripped him apart as he rubbed his forehead. Sonia coughed awkwardly on the other side of the phone.

  
“Sorry! I'll be there in ten minutes.” He replied quickly, laughing nervously.

  
“You better be. If Enoshima gets here before you-”

  
Hinata hung up the call and threw his phone onto his bed, not too excited to listen to a lecture on the phone. How on Earth could he forget? He told Komaeda that he would be there.

  
_Oh shit. Komaeda. I told him I would be there and I'm not._

  
Guilt wracked through Hinata’s head. He picked up his phone again and opened up Komaeda's contact information.

  
**Hinata: sorry**

  
_I hope he's not too disappointed in me._

  
❁

  
Sonia’s arms immediately crossed when she spotted Hinata walking into the shop. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of Hinata. Hinata waved hello weakly and walked up to her. She was frowning and tapping her foot. Hinata had never seen Sonia this angry. Komaeda appeared to be working with a customer, not even noticing that Hinata had come in. Sonia's eyes widened and Hinata awkwardly stood there confused. “I'm so sorry about being late and I promise never to do it-”

  
“So are you Hinata?” A high pitched voice rang out behind him and Hinata turned around. It was a woman wearing the Hope’s Coffee Shop apron, although this one appeared to be dazzled with pink rhinestones and silver sparkles. Hinata's face turned red as he noticed how low cut her apron and shirt was, exposing her chest. The woman had her hands to her mouth like a cat as she stood in front of Hinata.

  
“Y-yeah. I'm Hinata Hajime.” He replied, wondering what someone like her was doing here. He didn't remember Komaeda or Sonia saying something about a new employee.

  
_This couldn't be Enoshima, couldn't it? How could Komaeda hate someone like this? She seems too… innocent?_

  
As if she had heard Hinata thinking, the woman stuck out her hand. “I'm Enoshima Junko!” She said cheerfully. Hinata nodded and smiled before reaching out to shake her hand.

  
It was cold, her hand was so cold. Then it was painful. He looked down in alert and noticed her red nails digging into his skin. Enoshima let out a chorus of giggles like a schoolgirl. When she released, red marks were left all over his hand.

  
“It's a pleasure to meet you!” She exclaimed, winking at him. Enoshima twirled a finger in her blonde hair. She sighed and looked back, swinging her hand behind her.

  
The hand almost made contact with the girl standing behind her and Hinata was about to call out a warning. The girl stepped lazily to the side and stared at him. “Thats Ikusaba Mukuro.” Enoshima patted Ikusaba forcefully on the back. Ikusaba seemed numb to the pain Enoshima was trying to inflict on her.

  
Ikusaba nodded in Hinata's direction and then moved behind Enoshima. “Nice to meet you.” Hinata said, trying to peek around Enoshima to see Ikusaba. Enoshima laughed.

  
“Don't pressure yourself to talk to her. Anyways, how do you like it here? Sonia tells me you are absolutely wonderful.” Enoshima hoisted herself up to sit on the counter. She swung her legs in a childlike matter and drummed her nails on the counter.

  
“I-It's really nice here.” He said. He wasn't lying by any means as well. He enjoyed it at Hope’s Coffee shop. It was better than any other jobs than he had before. It had expanded his horizons. He thought of Komaeda and blushed. It certainly had broadened his horizons.

  
Hinata glanced around, scanning the shop for Komaeda. He still needed to apologize in person for being late to work. Komaeda had chosen him to come in, and Hinata had let him down. They might as well have told Yukizome to come in instead. “Whatcha looking for?” Enoshima asked, mocking Hinata's head movements. She put her hand up to her forehead as if she was scanning something.

  
“I'm looking for Komaeda. I don't see him.” Hinata replied, unsure if he should of told Enoshima that. She seemed to be an inquisitive girl, who was almost certainly smarter than how she acted. If she discovered Hinata's and Komaeda's… relationship, there was no telling what could happen.

  
“Komaeda?” Her face went blank for a moment before it illuminated again. “Oh, that hope dude! He likes to hide in the back whenever Ikusaba and I come. I don't know why he would do that when we get along so well!” Enoshima sighed and shook her head dramatically.

  
Hinata's stomach dropped. He turned to the door and opened it, and wasn't surprised when he saw that the lights were off. He looked back to Enoshima and Ikusaba. Enoshima shot him a peace sign and Ikusaba looked up at Enoshima as Hinata entered the dark room and closed the door behind him.

  
“Komaeda?” He called into the dark. “Komaeda, where are you- Oof!”

  
A shape pressed him against the wall and snaked its arms around his waist. Hinata's inhaled as he was pulled into a tight hug. “She's out there.” Komaeda whispered into Hinata's ear.

  
“Yeah. It'll be okay, alright?” Hinata rested his head on Komaeda's shoulder. Hinata had no clue how Komaeda could see in the dark. It was pitch black except for the small ray of light filtering in from the underside of the door. The only thing that could be heard was the whirring of the air conditioning that was slightly too cold for Hinata's taste.

  
The cold of the air conditioning was futile though, as Hinata was the warmest he had ever been in Komaeda's arms. “She's not even that bad.” Hinata whispered, trying to comfort his friend. Komaeda sighed audibly and kissed the top of Hinata's head.

  
Hinata blushed and was thankful for the dark. He felt cold hands find their way to his chin and tilt it upwards. He stared at the silhouette of Komaeda and closed his eyes.

  
The kiss melted the energy out of Hinata. It was long and seeming endless, as if Komaeda was sucking Hinata's soul out of his body. Hinata opened his mouth a little and Komaeda took the opportunity to slip his tongue in.

  
Hinata stifled a gasp as Komaeda pushed him against the wall as they continued to kiss. Hinata's legs went weak and he wrapped his arms around Komaeda's neck as if he was the only thing holding him up.

  
The only thing he could think about was Komaeda, Komaeda, Komaeda.

  
❁

  
Ikusaba watched as Enoshima pressed her ear against the wall. Her face erupted into a gigantic treacherous smile and she laughed quietly. “Say Ikusaba, do you hear that?”

  
Ikusaba shook her head and blinked at Enoshima. Enoshima waved her over and Ikusaba slowly walked over. She sighed as Enoshima tried to grab her head and slam it into the wall unsuccessfully.

  
Enoshima winked as if nothing had just happened and pointed to the wall. Ikusaba put her head to the wall and focused. “Can you hear that?” Enoshima asked.

  
Ikusaba focused. She couldn't hear anything from the other side of the wall. “I don't hear anything.” She tried to press her ear harder against the wall.

  
“Try again, sister. Quickly now before they stop or Sonia comes back..” Enoshima licked her lips as she went silent. Ikusaba closed her eyes and tried to focus on her hearing.

  
Ikusaba’s eyes shot open as she found the sound she was searching for. “They are kissing.” She told Enoshima. Enoshima nodded ecstatically.

  
“They are kissing. Komaeda and Hinata are kissing!” Enoshima declared, pointing to the ceiling in success.

  
“They're so hopeful it makes me wanna barf!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sosososososoooooo sorry for how late this was! I hope the wait was worth it though. I tried to put in extra fluff. I've been really busy with school and Yuri!!!On Ice (no regrets). GOOD NEWS THOUGH! I'm going to try to get back onto an updating schedule! The next update will be up on Sunday, November 27th! See you there!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited chapter is here, enjoy!

The weight of Enoshima weighed heavily on Hinata’s mind as Komaeda kissed Hinata deeply, pushing him up against the grey wall of the back room. The coldness of the back room only felt colder as he absorbed Komaeda’s warmth through kisses and contact. Hinata let out a small whimper and placed his hands on Komaeda’s chest. He gave a small push on Komaeda’s chest, enough to make the white haired individual move his head back from Hinata’s lips.

 

“We need to back so we don’t get in trouble. If I stay too long in here they might suspect something about us.” Hinata whispered urgently. He could hear Komaeda exhale in the dark, clearly upset. Hinata flinched when he felt the warm back of Komaeda’s hand trail gently down his cheek in the cold darkness.

 

It gave him goosebumps.

 

The hand withdrew itself, and then Hinata slowly moved his arms from around Komaeda’s neck. “Sorry, Hinata-kun. I just don’t know what came over me to make me behave so selfishly. I didn’t think about what you wanted at all.” Komaeda whispered, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the broken air conditioner.

 

Hinata wished that Komaeda could see his smile in the dark, the smile to tell Komaeda that it was okay to be selfish once in awhile. He remembered his mom once telling him that an expression was worth more than words could ever be. Hinata hadn’t doubted her, he had believed her.

 

“It’s okay, Komaeda. It really is.” Hinata blindly and cautiously waved his hand around in front of him until it bumped into the fabric covering Komaeda’s stomach. From there, he could easily move his hand to where Komaeda’s hand was. He laced his fingers into Komaeda’s hand, and Komaeda closed his fingers around their hands immediately. It a was desperate, clinging grasp as Komaeda held tightly onto Hinata’s hand, clearly not ready to go out to Enoshima and Ikusaba. It was childlike, but Hinata couldn’t help but smile warmly.

  
  


He pulled gently on Komaeda’s hand in the direction of the door. Komaeda took a small but hesitant  step towards the door and Hinata tried to drop his hold on Komaeda’s hand. “Komaeda.” He whispered urgently as Komaeda wouldn’t let go. Komaeda let out an audible sigh and loosened his grip on Hinata’s hand just a little bit.

 

“Komaeda.” Hinata warned again. Komaeda exhaled even louder and loosened his grip on Hinata’s hand a tiny bit more, as if he was holding something he didn’t want to let go of. Maybe he was.

 

Hinata locked his fingers with Komaeda again. “I promise it’ll be okay. She seems completely fine. I don’t think she would try to hurt you in anyway.”

 

_ At least not while I’m here. I’ll be damned if she even tries to hurt Komaeda. _

 

At long last, Komaeda let go of Hinata’s hand. The room gave him goosebumps now,  the cold becoming unbearable. He couldn’t stand to think of all the moments Komaeda had spent in here, cold and alone. It made Hinata wish he had come to the coffee shop sooner. What would it have been like if Komaeda had came to the shop sooner? Would he be with Komaeda in the back room at this very moment? Hinata looked at Komaeda’s silent silhouette. What was he thinking right now?

 

Komaeda reached out and twisted the doorknob. He mumbled something, but it was impossible to hear at the volume the whisper was. Hinata opened his mouth to ask what it was that Komaeda said, but it was cut short by an ecstatic high pitched yell as light filtered into the back room.

 

Enoshima jumped off the counter where she had been sitting down. She bounded up to them, her heels clicking on the metal floor. Hinata blushed when he was reminded of her low-cut shirt. He wanted to cover his face to hide his  embarrassing blush as she stood in front of them, swaying on her heels. Ikusaba trailed behind her, stopping at a distance away from her sister. It was like Enoshima had her own personal bubble that no one could enter, but she somehow had the ability to enter other people’s bubbles.

 

She flashed them a cute peace sign, her teeth shining as she smiled. Hinata could spot Sonia a distance away, cleaning up the tables that customers had left behind. Guilt wracked Hinata, that was his job and dammit he was proud of it. He didn’t want Sonia to be the one elegantly whirl the crumbs off the table, that was his job.

 

Komaeda was the first person to break the silence. He wore a clearly fake (At least it was to Hinata) smile as he extended his hand to shake Enoshima’s. Hinata almost warned him before realising he had definitely shaken her hand before, as they had met on a previous basis. “It’s lovely to see you, Enoshima.” His voice was cold, and sent a chilling jolt down Hinata’s spine. He hoped that Komaeda would never use that voice on him.

 

Sure enough, Enoshima’s elongated red nails dug into Komaeda’s hand, only this time it seemed to be much harder. Komaeda’s eyes widened and he inhaled deeply. Enoshima let go of Komaeda’s hand, revealing deep red nail marks and a small trickle of red from the darkest one.

 

It took everything from Hinata’s power not to yell at Enoshima then and there. Why had she done that? Komaeda had done nothing, absolutely nothing but greet Komaeda. Enoshima grinned like a fox and took a step back. “Now then, let’s all get to work!”

 

❁

 

Working under Enoshima Junko was pure  _ hell. _

 

She had asked Hinata and Komaeda to switch jobs halfway throughout the day for no apparent reason. It had resulted in Komaeda breaking two glasses (“Just my luck!”) and Hinata getting about fourteen orders wrong. Was this his punishment for being late? No, it included Komaeda too. Perhaps it was because Komaeda had closed himself in the dark room? But that barely seemed punishable. He had panicked and hid himself, it was as natural reaction (Or at least it was for Komaeda.).

 

Hinata didn’t know what he would do if it wasn’t for Ikusaba and Sonia telling him when he had recorded an order wrong because they had heard it differently. When the computer to record the orders randomly crashed, Ikusaba had thankfully showed Hinata how to get it working again. The girl was almost always silent, but when Hinata needed help she was there for him, correcting his mistakes.

 

At least she was when Enoshima wasn’t looking.

 

Enoshima was doing absolutely nothing the entire work day. All she did was sit on the counter with her short skirt and low cut shirt giving out orders that made completely no sense.

  
  


“Hinata, act completely grumpy with this next customer!”

 

Fukawa was not amused.

 

“Hinata, try flirting with this one!”

 

The man with neat silver hair and piercing purple eyes glared at him the entire time.

 

“Hinata, tell this girl that she looks absolutely beautiful!”

 

The girl with long, choppy brown hair had immediately began to cry and continued to the entire time she was in the coffee shop, making frequent glances at Hinata the entire time she was there.

 

Sonia was lucky that Enoshima hadn’t messed with her. He could only imagine how disastrous that could've been. Hinata could imagine Enoshima telling Sonia to put completely wrong ingredients into a drink. The day was terrible, and Hinata was glad that they didn’t have very many customers today.

 

The coffee shop was closed for the day, and the only people left in the shop were Hinata, Komaeda, Sonia, Ikusaba, and Mukuro. Hinata had caught Sonia texting Yukizome telling her about how bad the day was in the back room. Sonia had begged Hinata not to tell Enoshima, but Hinata had reminded her that he was Sonia’s friend first.

 

He wasn’t any friend to Enoshima Junko. Not after she made Komaeda bleed and the coffee shop suffer for no apparent reason.

 

Hinata had grabbed his coat from the back when he caught Komaeda’s pale green eye. Komaeda walked towards him, his green jacket trailing behind him. Hinata smiled at him, and a smile hinted at the lips of Komaeda. Komaeda glanced around before moving closer to whisper in Hinata’s ear. Enoshima and Sonia were talking across the room, but he bet that Komaeda didn’t want Enoshima to hear either way. He had to play it safe.

 

“Can I knock on your door at 10:00 tomorrow? I’m being selfish, I want to spend more time with Hinata-kun.” He whispered. Hinata grinned and turned to whisper in Komaeda’s ear.

  
“I’m perfectly fine with you being selfish when it comes to me, Komaeda. Don’t forget it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST THINGS FIRST  
> I am so so so so so so sorry for how late this was. I had to focus on academics for a while, so that meant I didn't really have the time to work on this. Now its winter break where I live, so yay! I can work on this! Happy holidays everyone! Can you believe this has been running for over six months? I can't lmao. Also DR 2.5?! DR Killing Harmony?! Those are just around the corner. Wow.
> 
> I think that updates from now on will be randomly released because of my hectic days. Sorry about that.  
> Have a wonderful day! I'm hopeful that I'll be able to upload the next chapter soon! (lolhope)
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Happy holidays!


	20. Chapter 20

Komaeda stared into his mirror on another cloudy morning. His white hair was bouncy as usual as he pulled on a black coat over his green and red sweater. He liked the looseness of the sweater and jacket in the cold weather, it made him feel warmer. Maybe his heart was feeling warm with the anticipation of going over to Hinata’s apartment. He sighed and looked the reflection of his own pale green eyes. They looked so normal and boring to him, he couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t the color of them that set Komaeda off, but just how blank and empty they seemed. Everything beautiful about it was lost when he noticed how empty they were.

 

Hinata appeared to enjoy them whenever he stared into them, so they must have some degree of prettiness. It confused Komaeda though, they always seemed so cold and blank whenever he looked in the mirror. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out to check the notifications.The text was from Hinata. Komaeda’s heart swelled with joy as he opened up the text.

 

_ Hinata-kun probably sent me a super important text about our friendship! _

 

**Hinata-kun: i forgot to give you my address**

 

Komaeda screenshot the address Hinata sent him. He didn’t want to ever lose this address, it would be embarrassing to bother Hinata-kun again for the same thing he already gave Komaeda. Komaeda would never want to be a burden to Hinata

 

**Hinata-kun: im looking forward to when you come over**

**  
** **Hinata-kun: i think im a bit more excited than im letting on**

 

**Hinata-kun: i hope its not too messy**

 

**Hinata-kun: i tried to wash up all the dirty orange juice glasses i could find**

 

**Hinata-kun: theres probably some that escaped from me**

 

**Hinata-kun: sorry in advance**

 

**Komaeda: It’s no problem Hinata-kun. I’m sure any place where such hope resides is a wonderful place. I am on my way- See you soon!**

 

❁

 

Komaeda knocked lightly on Hinata’s door, careful not to disturb any neighbors. The door opened up right away. Hinata smiled shyly and opened up the door fully to his apartment. “Come on in.” Hinata said, stepping out of Komaeda’s way. Komaeda stepped inside and Hinata closed the door behind him. The sight of the small kitchen and living room made Komaeda grin. There was something cute about the small dwelling.

 

“It’s so tidy in here, Hinata-kun. From the way you described it, I thought I might have had to help you tidy up the place. I see know that I was too quick to judge someone of  _ esteemed hope _ .” Komaeda ran his fingers across the kitchen countertop. The apartment made him feel calm, with the gray walls and non vibrant furniture. Hinata was wearing a white shirt with dark, tight jeans. All calm colors that meshed well together. It made Komaeda hate the dark red on his sweater.

 

Hinata shrugged and looked at Komaeda. “Thanks, I guess.” His eyebrow twitched in annoyance and Komaeda bit his lip. Had he said something wrong? Perhaps it was because he had assumed his room would be dirty. Komaeda frowned as Hinata folded his arms and looked at him.

 

Komaeda laughed quietly as he observed Hinata’s expressions. “You’re so different on text than in real life. It makes me wonder if I’ve got the wrong number.” Hinata’s eyebrow stopped twitching, and instead rose in peaked curiosity. Childlike innocence splashed onto Hinata’s face.

 

Hinata walked over to Komaeda and bumped into his shoulder. “What do you mean?” Hinata put his hands on his hips. His chestnut eyes were clear like pools of water. Water that is so clear you can see your reflection, and maybe even something more inside them. Water so pure you don’t ever want it to be tainted with something disgusting, like hatred or envy, disdain or despair.

 

“You’re so shy and bumbly on text. How do I say it…” Komaeda put his finger on his lips as he racked his brain for the correct word.

 

_ Bashful? Different? Small? _

 

Komaeda closed his eyes and smiles as the word comes to him. “You’re so much cuter.” He opened his eyes and stared in satisfaction at blushing Hinata. Hinata looked away at first, but it’s difficult to hide a blush that intense. Hinata sighed and walked over to Komaeda.

 

“Close your eyes.” Hinata commands.

 

_ Hinata-kun. _

 

Komaeda closed his eyes. A few seconds pass before he feels a tiny kiss placed gently upon his left cheek. Hinata’s hand is cupped around his right cheek as he kisses Komaeda’s cheek again.This kiss is placed closer to the curve of his lips. The kiss is as gone as quickly as it came, but Komaeda doesn’t have to wait long until Hinata’s lips are pressed against his.

 

Their bodies mesh together as Komaeda pulls Hinata closer with his arms. Hinata grabs a fistful of Komaeda’s hair. Hinata is sucking on Komaeda’s lower lip, it’s gone numb now. Hinata starts pushing Komaeda to the side of the room, and Komaeda grunts when his back makes contact with the wall behind him. 

 

_ Hinata-kun. _

 

But he doesn’t stop kissing Hinata. He can’t get enough of him.

 

They kiss for minutes on end. About four minutes ago, Komaeda broke apart from Hinata to push Hinata down onto the couch, Komaeda leaping down on top of him.

 

Komaeda slid his hand under Hinata’s shirt,smiling like a fox on the hunt. He leans down to kiss Hinata again Hinata lets out a startled cry and pushes Komaeda off him. Komaeda almosts falls onto the floor, but balances himself just in time.

 

He looks at Hinata, his heart aching from the cold, sudden rejection. Komaeda stops himself from moving towards Hinata again when Hinata speaks. “This isn’t right.” Hinata says, his chest heaving as he looks down. Komaeda’s eyelids droop and he looks at Hinata like a lost puppy.

 

“What do you mean, Hinata-kun? You were the one who initiated the kissing and-”

 

Confusion races through his head and as he looks at Hinata.

 

_ I don’t understand. _

 

“No. I mean going beyond that. I- I just can’t do it when I’m in the dark about our relationship.” Hinata stammers. Komaeda tilts his head in confusion and crawls closer to Hinata. Hinata lets him, and doesn’t do anything in attempt to stop Komaeda from getting closer.

 

Komaeda blinks. “What do you mean, Hinata-kun? What has you so confused? If I can do anything to help, I would absolutely love to be a stepping stone towards a brighter future..!” Hinata shakes his head and brings his palm to his face. Komaeda is sure he can hear Hinata muttering something about him.

 

Hinata looks up from his hand and at Komaeda, his face firm and serious, the blush draining.

 

“Are we going out?”

 

The air is silent and Komaeda’s heart is thumping heavily in his chest. Komaeda isn’t dumb, he knew of his instant attraction towards Hinata the moment he met him. It was so hard for him to resist, the spiky brown hair, the somewhat friendly smile. When he had kissed Hinata for the first time, he wasn’t sure what he wanted.

 

All he knew was that he wanted something from Hinata.

 

He didn’t want to make Hinata unhappy, or hurt him. The idea of Komaeda’s luck doing something to hurt Hinata like it did Komaeda’s parents-

 

It made him feel sick to his stomach.

 

But at the same time, he knew that Hinata couldn’t continue doing this with him if they weren’t going out. Hinata would eventually move on to someone else and forget all about Komaeda. One day Hinata would say goodbye and they would never see each other ever again.

 

That made his head hurt.

 

“Komaeda.” Hinata said softly. Komaeda jolted out of his thoughts and looked at Hinata. Hinata’s cheeks had never completely stopped being pink from the moment where they had started blushing that day.

 

Hinata coughed once he realized he had Komaeda’s attention. “I really like you. More than I probably should.” Hinata said quietly. He was looking down, looking anywhere but Komaeda.

 

Stars lit up Komaeda’s blooming heart and he inhaled sharply. He grabbed the collar of Hinata’s shirt and pulled him close, his lips crashing onto Hinata’s. Komaeda pulled back and stared at wonderstruck Hinata.

  
“Hinata-kun, I would be honored if you would be my boyfriend.” Komaeda asked, gazing into the galaxy that is Hinata Hajime’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2017!  
> Wow, if you really think about it, I've been writing this thing for almost half a year. Woah. Time goes by way to fast. Thank you everyone whos been here since the early stages of this, and thank you to the people who are now just hopping on this! This is so much fun to write omigosh. I wrote this entire chapter in one whole sick day, so hooray for colds amirght. Honestly I'm so hyped for v3 like ayyyyy (still waiting for that english release date, dodging spoilers like a pro). Also chillin waiting for Danganronpa 2.5 to get translated because I just need that in my life.  
> Thank you all so much for reading all the way here! I love writing cute little kisses between these two, you have no idea.  
> A kudos is always greatly appreciated! I love reading over comments sooo much.They fuel me up to write more. Yeah note it if I'm taking forever to get out a new chapter, leave a comment if you really want me to get on it. Nothing fuels me up more like those.  
> Thank you so much for reading, hoping to get the next chapter up as soon as I can (busy schedules are a pain)!!  
> Love you guys!
> 
> edit jan 23: i changed my username because of personal in real life reasons. im still the same person lmao


	21. Chapter 21

“Hinata-kun, I would be honored if you would be my boyfriend.” Komaeda said, slowly inching even closer to Hinata. Hinata’s eyes widened and he rubbed his eyes to quickly make sure he wasn’t dreaming. A spike of energy launched through him.  It wasn’t a dream though. Komaeda wasn’t running away from the conversation or changing it. He wasn’t spouting his usual bullshit.

 

Komaeda was sitting right in front of him, his knees folded on the couch. They bumped accidentally into Hinata’s a few times as Komaeda attempted to move closer, or was he trembling? 

 

_ This person. This person who spouts on and on about hope. This person who idolizes me above all others. Who idolizes my hope. This person who is the smoothest flirter unknowingly. Who probably catches the eyes of many people every day. This person who doesn’t give a damn about his social standing. This person who smiles kindly at people every day. This person who makes others feel special. This person who locks himself away when he feels he did something wrong. This person who is the best kisser on the planet. This person who holds himself back when he obviously doesn’t want to. This person who does it all so the person they like isn’t uncomfortable. This person I like more than I probably should. _

 

_ This person is sitting right in front of me. _

 

Hinata leaned forward and rested his head on Komaeda’s shoulder. He inhaled, and the fragrance of strawberries filled his nose. “You smell nice.” He murmured, nuzzling into Komaeda’s sweater. He felt Komaeda stiffen and a hand touched the top of his head, combing through his hair.

 

“Ah Hinata-kun, you're making me blush.” Komaeda laughed, and it sounded strained, forced. Hinata sat up straight. He wasn't lying, the red of his cheeks were strongly contrasted to his pale skin. Komaeda’s eyes were half-lidded as he looked at Hinata, blinking owlishly.

 

Hinata leaned against the couch cushion and rubbed his forehead. Komaeda’s eyes looked fragile, like shards of glass that would shatter immediately  if  they made contact with the ground. Dim stars glowed within the glass, as if they were stars doused with water.

 

_ He thinks I'm going to break his heart. _

 

Hinata reached over and tenderly picked up Komaeda´s cold hand. It was trembling slightly as he held it. Hinata inhaled and rubbed his thumb over the top of Komaeda’s hand, trying to calm Komaeda down. He slowly rubbed up and down, up and down. He looked up from the hand to Komaeda, and noticed that the other had stopped trembling. Komaeda licked his lips and remained silent.

 

_ For someone who talks when he usually shouldn’t, he knows to be silent. _

 

Hinata closed his eyes and steadied his thoughts.

 

_ Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. _

 

Hinata opened his eyes and slowly lifted Komaeda’s hand up to his. It was starting to tremble again as he held it. Hinata leaned forward and met the hand halfway, kissing the top of the hand. He looked up at Komaeda, his eyes round and large. He lowered Komaeda’s hand, and put his own hand over it.

 

“Komaeda, I would be honored if you would be my boyfriend.” Hinata said, repeating Komaeda’s own words straight back at him. Komaeda’s eyes were starry, like they were part of their own galaxy. Komaeda continued to be quiet. Briefly, Hinata wondered if he had said something wrong to displease the white-haired individual. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came to him.

 

Komaeda pulled Hinata in close, and he landed gently onto Komaeda’s chest. Sturdy, protecting arms enveloped him in a kind grasp, and held on tight. It was had the fierceness of a fire, but also the gentle warmth of a few embers slowly scattered. Hinata wasn’t sure if Komaeda was even talking. All he could hear was a loud thumping, and whether if it was his heartbeat or Komaeda’s he didn’t know.

 

Komaeda let go with one arm, and reached to tilt Hinata’s head up with his head. He saw Komaeda’s eyes flutter shut, and that was all Hinata had to see to know what to do.  Their lips locked together in one conjoined movement. His lips were soft, and Hinata wasn’t sure if they were this soft the last moment they kissed. The kiss was slow and deep as the two men returned affections without the awkwardness of words. This action conveyed everything Hinata wanted to say, and nothing could ever take this moment away from him.

 

Nothing could ever take Komaeda away from him.

 

Disappointment flickered in Hinata’s heart as Komaeda pulled away. He rested his forehead delicately against Hinata’s, a sly smile playing on his lips. “I can taste your hope, Hinata-kun. I can feel it coursing through my veins, what an honor.” Komaeda marveled, his voice not daring to go above a whisper. They were the only people in the apartment, yet the way Komaeda whispered made Hinata feel as if he was being watched by the entire world..

 

Hinata swallowed and looked straight into Komaeda’s eyes. The grey starry grey depths were large and unblinking. “Forgive my words, Hinata-kun. It’s just so hard to not tell you what I’m thinking. Your hope just…” Komaeda inhaled deeply and kissed the edge of Hinata’s lips.

 

“Your hope dazzles me to an indescribable extent. It makes me think about if anyone else is affected by your hope as much as I am.” Komaeda rubbed his thumb against Hinata’s cheek. Hinata blinked, his cheeks dusted with pink as he moved back in to kiss Komaeda.

 

_ My hope is all yours, and your hope is mine. _

 

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent with peppered kisses and cuddles. Hinata swore he would never live down the moment he accidentally knocked into Komaeda with his elbow.

 

“Oh shit, Komaeda I’m sorry!” Hinata had yelped when he hit Komaeda’s nose. Komaeda laughed and rubbed his nose.

 

Komaeda still continued to laugh and  a drop of blood leaked slowly from his nose. “Go stand over the sink, and I’ll get a towel!” Hinata commanded, leaping up from the couch and putting his hand out to help Komaeda up. Komaeda tilted his head in confusion. He took hold of Hinata’s hand and sat there, a clear look of confusion splayed across his face.

 

“What are you doing, Hinata-kun?” He asked, the confusion now becoming more and more obvious.

 

_ Really, Komaeda. _

 

Hinata was pretty sure if he wasn’t holding Komaeda’s hands, he would have facepalmed pretty damn hard. Maybe enough so he could get his own bloody nose.

 

Hinata pulled Komaeda off of the couch and started pushing him towards the kitchen sink. Komaeda’s hand clutched his tightly. “You have a nosebleed, idiot. Stay here and stand over the sink.” Hinata commanded. Komaeda stretched out his neck so his head was over the sink. Hinata rolled his eyes and swiftly ran into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and returned to Komaeda.

 

“Press this to your nose and tilt your head up.” He said softly. Komaeda nodded and did as he was told. He took a step away from the sink, his hand extended and reaching towards Hinata’s. Hinata pushed him back.

 

“You will not leave the sink’s side until the nosebleed is over.”

 

“Buth Hinata-kuhn you’re beingh too nith to a persohn likh me.” Komaeda replied, although Hinata had no idea what he was saying.

 

Hinata decided that he probably didn’t need to know what he was saying anyways. “I’m sorry. Just stay there until you are absolutely sure it’s done. When you finish, make sure you don’t lower the towel in front of me.” Hinata rolled his eyes and Komaeda nodded.

 

“Afraihd oth bloohd?”

 

Hinata shrugged and shook his head. “I have no idea what you are saying right now.”

 

“Hinatah-kuhn is the cutehst persohn evehr.”

  
Hinata’s blushed  as his mind decoded the sentence. He smiled slightly at Komaeda, his gaze warm as he looked at his boyfriend. Hinata sighed, and reached out to hold Komaeda’s longing hand. Komaeda’s grip tightened, as if he was holding onto his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love sitting down and writing an entire chapter. It makes me feel so successful lmaooooo  
> Sorry for the time it took me to pump this out, I was soososososososo busy like wow. I barely had any time to even do my schoolwork. Weekends are amazing though, so I got enough time to go and write this. Yay! I'm not finished with this fic yet, not even close according to how I've got my rough drafts planned out. We'll get there, I have no intention of dropping this at all. I changed my username to okoku from dawnstuck because of personal reasons.  
> I'm already working on the next chapter right now, so I hopefully if life isn't mean I'll get it out soon!  
> A kudos and comment is always appreciated!  
> <3 Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!  
> See you next chapter!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Hinata decided that he liked the quiet days the most at Hope’s Coffee Shop. He liked the quiet chatter and the small buzz of people as they sipped on their drinks, giving off the most satisfactory ambiance. It was relaxing, and never failed to put his nerves at ease. Hinata would look over and see Sonia and Yukizome making drinks and exchanging polite gossip as they worked. They would laugh every few minutes, but it never seemed to have a mean intent. He could turn to Komaeda and talk for hours on end, with no one to stop them. He could reach out and hold Komaeda’s hand when no one was in need of help. At the end of the day, Komaeda could kiss his head and pepper him with compliments.

 

Except for the fact none of that could happen with Enoshima Junko around.

 

“Oh! My! God! Hajime!” Can I call Hajime? I’m calling you Hajime.” Enoshima squealed as the door coffee shop door swung open and shut behind her. She snapped off her sunglasses, throwing them behind her. Ikusaba caught them with perfect accuracy, tucking them away and continuing to shadow her sister as usual. Her footsteps were silent behind her sister’s clacking heels. Ikusaba nodded to Hinata in brief greeting, her blue eyes glinting in a catlike way. Enoshima sighed dramatically, flicking her hands backwards and nearly hitting Ikusaba before she dodged out of the way.

 

“Good morning Enoshima, Ikusaba.” Hinata said dryly, trying not to look up from the table he was wiping off.  As pleasing as Enoshima was to look at, she was still a pain to talk to.

 

_ Click clack. Click clack. _

 

Hinata looked up after he heard the clicking of high heels lead away from where he was working. Enoshima had propped her arms up on the counter, her head in her hands as she stared at Komaeda. Komaeda was evenly matching her gaze, unblinking as he stopped his work to engage in this silent battle of stares.

 

_ These two just don’t mesh well at all, do they? It’s no wonder he locked himself away last time. _

 

It was a creepy scene, and even Sonia and Yukizome had stopped to watch the spectacle of unblinking hatred. Komaeda’s eyes were foggy, a ripple coursing through them like a pebble thrown into the river. Even Ikusaba was-

 

Where was she?

 

Hinata’s eyes widened as he saw Ikusaba slinking around behind Komaeda, standing up directly behind him. Her blue eyes swirled as she rose up behind him, her fist raised. Hinata swallowed and began to panic. “Hey Komaeda, you should come help me real quick!” Hinata yelled, urgence in his voice. Komaeda looked over at Hinata, clearly confused and breaking the battle of stares.

 

Hinata sighed in relief as Ikusaba stepped away from behind Komaeda and Enoshima was busy letting out a chorus of giggles. She looked over at Hinata and winked at him, sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth.

 

It sent a chill down Hinata’s spine.

 

“So what did you need help with?” Komaeda asked, resting his hand on the table. Hinata bit his lip and quickly filtered through his mind for excuses, not wanting to tell Komaeda on what he had seen Ikusaba attempting. He didn’t notice Komaeda slowly trying to move his hand on top of Hinata’s and succeeding. Hinata smiled warmly at the sensations, but quickly yanked his hand away as he remembered Enoshima.

 

Komaeda’s eyes flashed with hurt and he frowned at Hinata. Hinata quickly looked back at Enoshima to make sure she hadn’t seen them. He sighed in relief as he saw the sister’s back turned so she was facing Sonia and Yukizome.

 

_ Finally she’s annoying someone else instead of us. _

 

Hinata looked back over to Komaeda as Komaeda sighed dramatically and looked at Hinata with large puppy eyes. His hand was slowly creeping towards Hinata’s again, but this time faster than it was before, wanting to achieve it’s goal. Hinata pulled his hands off the table and leaned into Komaeda’s ear.

 

_ He still smells like strawberries. _

 

“We can’t do that while Enoshima and Ikusaba are around. Who knows what will happen if those two find out? I don’t want you to get fired because of me.” Hinata whispered, his voice soft. Komaeda moved his head away from Hinata’s and dipped his head respectfully.

 

“As you wish, Hinata-kun. But that's just for when we’re at work, correct?” Komaeda smiled mischievously, sending a bolt of lightning through Hinata. Komaeda turned to leave Hinata and go behind the back counter.

 

“Heya Nagito, what did you do on your day off yesterday? We like, totally missed you and Hajime.” Enoshima’s voice rang out like a symphony of bells.

 

_ Does she really have to call us by our first name? Does she really have to talk to us the moment we step within her boundaries? _

 

Komaeda laughed and rubbed his neck Perhaps the laughing was to buy him enough time to think of an excuse of what he was doing yesterday. “Well Enoshima, I was just relaxing around the house. Not much to do but enjoy the silence these days. Silence is golden, Enoshima.” Komaeda’s voice was smooth, clear, and just a little bit undermining. Hinata walked over to the conversation, finished with wiping down all the tables.

 

“Oh really? I totally thought you would be doing something with Hajime. You two are  _ so _ close, always by each other's sides..” Enoshima hoisted herself up on the counter, her legs dangling and heels swinging in a childlike matter. Her fox eyes narrowed in on Hinata.

 

Enoshima gave them both a sickly smile as they remained silent to her blabber. She curled her hair with her pointer finger. “You two are always together in all the moments I’ve been here. Dontcha think so, Mukuro?” Enoshima looked over at her sister. Ikusaba’s face went pink as her sister acknowledged her. “Well-”

 

“I'm so glad we agree!” Enoshima said, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence. Enoshima hugged herself and closed her eyes, letting out a squeal. Komaeda took a step closer to Hinata, appalled with the situation at hand.

 

“Imagine..!” She stuck her hand out towards the ceiling and lowered it dramatically. “Nagito and Hajime cuddling up in the darkness of night, with no one but each other. Their passionate fight, entangled-”

 

“I think that Hinata and Komaeda are the best of friends, but now we need to focus on working. We open in fifteen minutes.” Sonia broke in, her hands on her hips as she cut off Enoshima. Her face was stern, but her twitching eyebrow signaled her satisfaction in cutting Enoshima off. Enoshima shrugged and went back to playing with her hair. She winked at the two of them before hopping off the counter.

 

“You two really bring out the best in eachother, don’t you?” Enoshima whispered as she passed them by.

  
The words haunted Hinata like a ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading the whole way here <3  
> Unlike other chapters, this chapter was completely drafted in my brand new notebook, so that was pretty cool. All I had to do was get on my laptop and fix a bit of the quirks before uploading. Happy late Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you guys all had a great one. I spent mine lurking on ao3 lmaoooo  
> Also Danganronpa v3 in September! Woa, thats so far but I'm sooo excited.  
> Writing Enoshima is so much fun. She's such a valley girl and valley girls are always fun to write. The next update should come out sometime within the next to weeks, so thats great!  
> Don't forget to leave a kudos if you haven't, and I love reading and responding to comments ;;;)))))  
> * w i n k w i n k n u d g e n u d g e*  
> Have a fantastic day everyone, see you next chapter!


	23. Chapter 23

Yukizome, Sonia, Hinata, and Komaeda were all gathered in Sonia’s gigantic living room. The large house seemed even bigger without all the people in it. Hinata recalled the last time he had been there. It was back at the start of winter, when snow had just lightly dusted the ground. He blushed remembering when Komaeda had given him is jacket. It seemed so long ago. 

Now they were all together, called under Sonia’s command. Hinata was nestled into the same couch as Komaeda under Sonia's persistent bugging. 

“You have to. It is adorable how you two act!” Sonia had pointed towards the couch, and since neither Komaeda nor Hinata had the heart to argue Sonia’s seemingly regal command, they were stuck into the same couch. Yukizome was sitting on the largest couch wearing a bright blue dress, her hair tied up into a ponytail as usual. Hinata squirmed next to Komaeda, while Komaeda remained calm and composed. 

Komaeda looked over to his boyfriend and rested his head on his shoulder. “Hinata-kunnnn.” He said, kissing Hinata’s cheek. Hinata’s face dusted with a bright pink and Komaeda traced over the kiss with his thumb. Sonia let out a high pitched squeal, and coughed loudly as soon as Hinata looked over to her. Komaeda winked at Sonia. Hinata had to stifle his laughter. 

“So what are we doing here? Other than to hang out? You sounded really nervous on the phone.” Yukizome’s eyes were wide with concern as Sonia’s face darkened. It was one of her best qualities, her powerful empathy and kindness towards others. Hinata couldn't tell any stress to Sonia’s words. He just thought she wanted everyone to hang out together. 

“I was talking with Enoshima and,” Sonia sighed, shaking her head. “She said she does not know when she is going to leave.” Hinata hung his head at those words. The queen of despair would reside with them for longer than he had thought. Komaeda shifted uncomfortably beside him, clearly not excited at the prospect of having to deal with Enoshima for a while longer. Hinata felt a stab of sympathy for the man. Hinata put his head on top of Komaeda’s, which was still resting on his shoulder. 

“As much as I like Enoshima…”Yukizome started, trailing off. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “What could we possibly do to make her leave us?” Yukizome asked, looking straight up at Sonia. Her legs were together and she sat up straight like a student. Hinata couldn't help but to grin when he found out that the kind, loving Yukizome didn't like Enoshima more than the rest of them.

Sonia nodded as soon as Yukizome finished her question. “That is why I have invited you all over. She has been indirectly sabotaging each and every one of us. I want us to all think of ways we could make her stop harming us.” Sonia looked at them all, her eyes glimmering but her expression serious. 

Ways to stop Enoshima? Hinata had never thought of that possibility before. He had just assumed that he would have to wait out her torture until she left. But if she was going to stay longer…

Hinata looked over at Komaeda, who had been quiet for quite some time. Komaeda had taken his head off of Hinata’s shoulder, and he was now sitting up. His green eyes were glassy and far away, revealing just how hard he was thinking.

Hinata took his boyfriend’s hand to get his attention. He interlocked his fingers with Komaeda’s. “What were you thinking?” Hinata asked softly, hoping that Komaeda would have some sort of an idea what to do. Komaeda looked at him, suddenly present again.

“I'm sorry Hinata-kun, could you repeat that? I really do need to pay more attention.” Komaeda looked crestfallen as he spoke. His frown spread Sadness into Hinata. Hinata squeezed Komaeda’s hand, smiling warmly at him.

“It's okay, I was just asking if you had thought of a way to make Enoshima leave sooner. You seemed like you were thinking.” Hinata explained, patting Komaeda’s hair. A small smile rose to Komaeda’s face. 

“Hinata-kun is so kind to me~” Komaeda laughed, his laugh echoing through the room. It was then that Hinata realized the room was silent, and that Yukizome and Sonia were staring at them. Sonia coughed awkwardly, shifting as she stood. 

“If you don't mind me inturrupting, I was wondering if you two had any ideas.”

An idea? Hinata closed his eyes. Enoshima found joy in pestering the workers of Hope’s Coffee Shop- that was for sure. But why? Enoshima obviously knew that they didn't like to be told to do the ridiculous things. Hinata knew that he would always do the action non-enthusiastically, as if to tell Enoshima that he didn't like doing her stupid orders. But she knew that, didn't she? She liked watching the despair of her workers. If there was a way to combat the despair, she would eventually get bored and leave. 

“I have an idea.” Hinata said, standing up. He felt a tug at the end of his arm. Komaeda looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes, refusing to let go of his hand. Hinata pulled him up with him, deciding that Komaeda could just stand up there with him.

Sonia sat down where Komaeda and Hinata were sitting before, smiling excitedly. “Go ahead.” She said, her blue eyes sparkling. 

“What if we did exactly what Enoshima asked of us without complaining?” Hinata proposed. He felt the enthusiastic energy in the room drop. “Wait, wait.” Hinata waved his free hand- the other was being held by Komaeda. 

“I'm listening to you, Hinata-kun. I believe your idea will replenish hope to our coffee shop.” Komaeda clapped his hands together, trapping Hinata’s hand in the middle. Hinata felt a surge of confidence in his idea. He could do this, he could convince his co-workers of his idea to get rid of Enoshima for the time being. 

“Enoshima gives us these tasks because it mades of despair. She likes it when we groan or complain because thats what she wants. Enoshima only wants to see us suffer. I'm saying we need to not despair when she tells us what to do, but to treat it with hope instead. Smile when she tells you what to do. Thank her for every little problem she causes, turning it around. She'll get bored of us and leave us alone.”

Komaeda grinned. “D-defeating hope with despair- how wonderful!” He said excitedly. Hinata swore he could see his eyes spinning frantically. komaeda began laughing, raspy and strange this time. He patted Komaeda’s shoulder, hoping to calm him down. 

“Yeah. We'll use hope.” He said calmly, hoping to transfer some of the calmness to Komaeda. Komaeda nodded excitedly.

“Hinata-kun’s plan is flawless! We'll use the power of hope to defeat despair!” Komaeda turned to Sonia and Yukizome. He let go of Hinata’s hand and held both of his hands up. 

“It's absolute hope!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for waiting so long for this chapter! I'm terribly sorry it took so long to come out, it was so hard to find the time to write. If you enjoyed the chapter, leave a comment telling me how you felt about it :D I love reading and responding to them. This fic is almost a year old, omigosh that's pretty crazy.
> 
> Thank you so much and have a wonderful week!


	24. Chapter 24

Hinata opened the cafe door, feeling confident in the plan he and his friends had formed over the weekend. It had to be right, it had to. Hinata didn’t know what else he would do to get Enoshima to leave if this wasn't pulled off. It was early morning as usual as Hinata walked into the shop.

“Good morning, Hinata-kun!” Hinata smiled as he noticed Komaeda walking over, grinning like a madman. Hinata waved hello and Komaeda grabbed his hand between both of his. “I'm so excited, Hinata-kun. I can't wait to witness, no participate in this showdown of hope and despair!” Komaeda said enthusiastically, his voice growing louder near the end of the sentence.

Hinata looked around quickly, praying that neither Enoshima or Ikusaba was at work yet. Sonia, Yukizome, and Komaeda were the only people he noticed. He should have known by now- Enoshima never came to help in the mornings. Then again, she never came to help either. Enoshima only came to bring misfortune to her workers and customers Ikusaba at least helped a little when Enoshima told her to. That girl would do anything for her sister.

“I'm sure it will succeed.” Hinata told his boyfriend, slightly flustered as Komaeda held his hand tightly. “It will succeed.” Hinata repeated, slightly to convince himself and slightly to Komaeda.

“Good morning, Hinata.” Yukizome said calmly, looking up from the table she was wiping. Her eyes were a deeper green than Komaeda’s. Komaeda’s eyes were like a pond, surrounded by the forest green of Yukizome’s eyes. Sonia’s eyes would have to be the clear blue sky overlooking them both.

“I wonder what time Enoshima will be in today.” Sonia said, swinging into the conversation. Sonia’s hands were on her hips as she grinned. The excitement was easily identifiable in the air. Hinata hoped that it would add to overwhelming Enoshima.

“For once, I'm actually excited to see Enoshima.” Hinata joked, laughing. Komaeda nodded in agreement. He couldn't wait.

“I can't say I'm happy about it, but I don't feel as much despair as I did before.” Komaeda said cheerfully. Hinata guessed that meant something good. Despair was the opposite of hope, and anything that was the opposite of despair bought happiness to Komaeda. Hinata looked at the group of people surrounding him. He was sure that they could pull this off.

Just then, the despair inducing woman herself opened the door to Hope’s Coffee Shop. She closed it hard behind her right onto Ikusaba. Ikusaba put her hands out in front of her so that the door wouldn't smash her face in. The door lightly bounced as it hit her hands. She let out a small sigh and closed the door behind her, following her sister. Enoshima ignored the fact she had just almost injured her sister. Instead, she walked straight up to her four workers.

“Good morning, Enoshima and Ikusaba. Your hair looks so wonderful today, Enoshima. I sure wish I had the time to get that hairstyle done in the morning.” Yukizome said, her voice steady and kind. Enoshima blinked for a moment and touched her right ponytail with her delicate fingertips.

“Wonderful…” Enoshima said slowly, her ice blue eyes scanning over her employees. She looked like a bird of prey searching for a target weak enough to snag. “Wonderful!” She said enthusiastically, her eyes landing on Komaeda. Hinata’s smile wavered as Enoshima marched up and grabbed Komaeda’s arm. “We'll be back soon! Come on Mukuro, jeez, don't be so slow all the time.” Enoshima scolded, rolling her eyes at her sister’s incompetence. She pulled open the door to the back room, slamming the door once more on Ikusaba. Ikusaba seemed unfazed as she calmly opened up the door and slipped inside.

Hinata flinched. He swore Enoshima would kill Ikusaba if she wasn't more careful.   
Hinata started towards the door, breaking out of his frozen state. His head bubbled with anger. How dare she take Komaeda? Why was she so damn rude? He footsteps were stopped as he felt someone touch him.

Hinata looked back as someone lightly tugged on his arm. Yukizome smiled slightly at Hinata. “Kindness, Hinata. She wants you to get angry.” Yukizome gently pulled Hinata back. Her tone reminded him of a teacher. Hinata was sure that Yukizome could make a pretty damn good teacher.

Hinata sighed and ran a hand through his pointy hair. “What will she do to him? Komaeda despises Enoshima the most out of all of us.” Hinata looked to the door as he spoke. The only thing he could hear from the outside was laughter, seemingly endless. He wanted to get Komaeda as far away from Enoshima as possible. He would take Komaeda to the edge of the universe if that meant getting Komaeda away from Enoshima.

Yukizome smiled sadly and looked back towards the door. “I'm sure she won't hurt him.” She said softly. She let go of Hinata's arm.

“I've got this.” Sonia whispered. Sonia stepped forward to the back room, knocking lightly on the dark brown door. “I am sorry to disturb you, but we are opening for the day soon. May we have Komaeda back?” Sonia grinned and winked at Hinata. The laughing suddenly stopped, the coffee shop silent as Yukizome, Sonia, and Hinata waited in anticipation for Komaeda to return. After two seemingly endless minutes, the door finally opened up once more.

Hinata’s jaw hit the floor as Komaeda was pushed out of the closet. He was dimly aware of Yukizome’s gasp and Sonia’s muffled giggles. Komaeda's cheeks were flushed as he looked away, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

Hinata didn't blame him.

Komaeda’s hair had been done almost exactly like Enoshima’s. The fluffy clumps had been tamed for once, although Hinata knew they would be back to normal the next day.

That is, if Komaeda didn't die of embarrassment today.

Enoshima had even went as far as to add little bows. It left Hinata speechless. He was sure that if Enoshima could, she would even change Komaeda’s clothes.

“Aren't you all proud of me? Now Nagito doesn't look like cat throw up, OMG he's wonderful!” Enoshima said, staring proudly at her accomplishment. Hinata cringed as Enoshima said OMG loudly. Who does that? Unironically at least.

Komaeda looked down at the ground, looking even more weak and deteriorated. Unable to watch Komaeda suffer, Hinata took a step closer to his boyfriend. He hesitantly reached up and took a tuft of hair in his fingers, massaging it gently. “Its softer than usual. Enoshima really did a nice job, didn't she?” Hinata said softly, smiling at Komaeda. Komaeda smiled weakly Hinata’s effort to cheer him up.

“Thank you, Hinata-kun.” Hinata’s heart ached. He wanted to touch Komaeda, but he couldn't. Not when Enoshima was watching them so closely. Even just a tiny gesture of romance could tip her off. The last thing Hinata wanted to do was get him and Komaeda fired. Hinata let go of Komaeda's hair, stepping back. It was impossible to miss the flash of hurt on Komaeda’s eyes.

_Stay positive Komaeda, please. I believe in you. We'll make her leave, I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I'm planning to crank up the fluff soon, so be excited for that. All of the support you guys have given so far really means the world to me. Have a wonderful day!


	25. Chapter 25

Komaeda stood, flustered. He couldn’t believe what Enoshima had done to him. He hesitantly touched his hair. Hinata was right, it was softer than it had been before. But that didn’t change the fact that Enoshima had put his hair up to only cause despair. Komaeda’s hand tightened into a fist. This was an outrage, an offense to the hope he was trying to inspire.

 

She was going to go onto more, he was sure of it. Enoshima already had her makeup kit out when Sonia called them out. He was lucky she hadn’t got to it. Komaeda felt a shiver go up his spine as he imagined Enoshima applying makeup. That would be even worse than the hair.

 

He looked over at Hinata. Even Hinata was blushing, and he wasn’t even the one dressed up. Komaeda inhaled, suddenly feeling bad. He was embarrassing Hinata, and it was all his fault. “I’m very sorry, Hinata-kun.” He mumbled, shyly looking over to him. Komaeda moved a few steps closer to Hinata.

 

Hinata looked up at him, his face full of confusion. “Huh?” Hinata said before the first customers trickled in. Komaeda shot Hinata a look of apology and moved to the cash register, pasting a smile onto his face. 

 

Komaeda thought about his hair. He wanted desperately to take his hair out of the dumb pigtails, but he was sure that Enoshima would move onto something much more painful. Komaeda shivered at the thought of himself in a dress. Komaeda inhaled sharply. He would have to work the look, for the sake of hope. 

 

“Good morning!” Komaeda called as the first customer of the day walked up to the cash register. She had long black and multicolored hair, Komaeda loved it. The girl looked like she was always ready for a party. Her whole energy just seemed exciteable. Hinata waved to her, and she excitedly shot a peace sign back.

 

“Goooood nomnomnomnoming!” She called excitedly to Komaeda, her energy easily identifiable. Komaeda smiled. He could get through this. The girl gasped as soon as she laid her eyes on Komaeda. “I love your hair! It totally makes me want to try it out. How dPo you think Ibuki would look in that hairstyle?” The hyperpuj ogirl bunched her hair together on the top of her head, loosely mocking Komaeda’s hairstyle.

 

Komaeda laughed softly. “You look wonderful, Miss…?”

 

“Mioda! Mioda Ibuki!” She exclaimed cheerfully. “I’m Hinata’s friend! Yahoooo!” Mioda twirled around. Komaeda broke into a smile. He loved Mioda’s type of customer, the type of person who found the good in everything. 

 

“Your order is on me, Mioda.” Komaeda said, brightening up. “Any friend of Hinata-kun is a friend of mine. It’s an honor.” Komaeda pulled out his money and slapped it on the counter.

 

Mioda frantically shook her head. “You can’t do that! Ibuki doesn’t want you to!” She frantically shook her hands and then pushed Komaeda’s money back to him.

 

Komaeda picked up the money. “Its my honor to pay for you, Mioda. You deserve it. Now, what would you like to have?”

 

Mioda placed her order and moved to sit down, leaving Komaeda to attend to the next customer.  Komaeda was aware of Enoshima’s gaze boring into him. But every now and then, Hinata would catch his eye and shyly smile at him. He swore his heart skipped a beat every time he laid his eyes on Hinata.

 

_ I want to kiss him. _

 

The first hour went smoothly until Enoshima striked. She knocked into a table with her hip, the one with loyal customer Fukawa. Her coffee spilled all over her, and she looked up to glare at Enoshima. “B-bitch.” She stammered, pushing up her glasses.

 

Komaeda watched Hinata scramble over to defuse the situation. Komaeda’s heart swelled as he watched Enoshima roll her eyes and walk away, her heels clicking on the floor. Hinata calmed Fukawa down, carefully patting down her outfit with a cloth to prevent staining.

 

Komaeda smiled as he watched Hinata pull out his wallet, giving Fukawa money before sending her off. If Komaeda were to guess, he would think that Hinata was refunding Fukawa’s order. She snatched up the money, pushed up her glasses, and walked out of the shop. Seeing as no one was in line to order, Komaeda called Hinata over. “Hinata-kun!” Komaeda called.

 

Hinata looked up at Komaeda and walked over. “Enoshima giving you trouble?” Hinata asked quietly. Komaeda shook his head and moved his head closer to Hinata’s, leaning over the counter.

 

Komaeda looked around. “Bathroom.” He whispered into Hinata’s ear. Komaeda left the register, knowing it was the driest time of day. Not many people came at this time, and if one did he was sure Sonia and Yukizome could cover for him. Komaeda pushed open the bathroom door, looking at himself in the mirror. After another minute, Hinata entered the bathroom.

 

As soon as Komaeda met Hinata’s eyes, Hinata moved forward to kiss Komaeda deeply, wrapping his arms around his neck. Komaeda let out a surprised gasp before kissing him back, snaking his arms around his waist. 

 

Komaeda drew apart, their foreheads touching. :”I wasn’t expecting that from you, Hinata-kun. It was a pleasant surprise.” Komaeda kissed HInata’s cheek. 

 

Hinata’s cheeks went pink. Komaeda couldn’t help but smile. He loved it when the brown-haired boy blushed. He thought it was the cutest thing in the world. “Y-you did?” Hinata stammered.

 

Komaeda nodded and kissed him again, this kiss shorter than the first. Hinata pulled him closer, burying his head in Komaeda’s shoulder. “I don’t want to go back to work.” Hinata mumbled.

 

Komaeda held Hinata tighter. “Why?” Komaeda acted softly, hoping that Hinata wouldn’t want to quit.

 

“I don’t like seeing Enoshima bully you. And other people.” He added quickly, his blush intensifying. Hinata kissed Komaeda’s cheek before pulling apart. He didn’t want to spend to long in the bathroom- Enoshima would probably get curious. 

 

“Allow me.” Komaeda said quickly, walking up to hold open the door. Hinata thanked Komaeda before walking through the door. Komaeda watched Hinata walk out, following him without gapping the time. He flinched, realizing his error as he made eye contact with Enohsima. 

 

She giggled, tossing her hair over her shoulders. Komaeda frowned as he wanted Enoshima scurry over to Mukuro, who was staring absently into space as she leaned onto a counter. Enoshima whispered into Mukuro’s ear, giggling as she did so. Mukuro nodded slowly, her eyes moving to look at Hinata, and then Komaeda. She quickly looked away as she made eye contact with Komaeda. 

 

Komaeda walked over to Hinata, not remotely thinking that it would be good to stay away from Hinata in Enoshima’s presence. “Enoshima and Mukuro.” He muttered, passing Hinata by. Hinata looked over to Enoshima and Mukuro, paling. 

 

“W-we’ve got to stay positive.” Hinata stammered, trying to force a smile. The panic in his eyes was clear as Hinata started breathing faster. Komaeda nodded slowly, trying to turn his frown upside down. Komaeda mustered up a smile and walked back to the cash register. He looked over at Enoshima and winked cheerfully.

 

Enoshima shot Komaeda a disgusted look before walking over. “Like, what are you doing?” She asked, putting her hand on her hip and sticking out her tongue. Komaeda winked again.

 

He put his hand on his hip, mimicking Enoshima. “Even trash like me can have a good day. Today is that day.” Komaeda said, winking once more. 

 

“Do you like, have an eye infection or something?” Enoshima said, almost disgusted. She pulled on the skin under her eye for effect. Komaeda winked, just to make his day even better.

 

Komaeda shook his head. “Just a fabulous day, Enoshima. I’m so honored that you would do my hair for me.” Komaeda drawled on. Enoshima snorted and turned around, walking away from Komaeda and to the back room.

 

Komaeda smirked as Enoshima stomped off. He had done this for Hinata, and for the greatness of hope. Sonia and Yukizome ran up to him, happiness apparent on their faces.

 

“Good job!” Sonia cheered quietly, hugging Komaeda and then quickly stepping back. Yukizome nodded in agreement, her green eyes glowing with happiness. Sonia waved to someone behind Komaeda- he guessed Hinata. He was right.

  
Hinata walked over to Komaeda, grinning. He sprinted over and kissed Komaeda, just as Enoshima opened up the door to exit the back room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider the quick making of this chapter an apology for my absence. But summer has started, and that means I get more time to write! Thank you all so much for the support


	26. Chapter 26

Komaeda kissed Hinata back, not noticing the open door. He frowned as Hinata pulled back, his eyes wide like a deer. Hinata stepped away from Komaeda, not looking him in the eye as he walked to the back room. Hinata pushed past Enoshima and entered the back room, reemerging with his jacket. 

Hinata walked past Komaeda, not looking back as he walked out of the coffee shop. Komaeda's eyes widened, his legs feeling weak. “H-Hinata-kun…” He stammered, struggling to find words or actions.

Enoshima let out a chorus of laughter, sticking out her tongue. “Do I have the best timing or what?” She giggled in between gasps of laughter. Her icy eyes sparkled as she looked directly at Komaeda. Enoshima stuck out her tongue once more and looked over at Mukuro. Even Mukuro was smiling for once. 

Dread and terror were displayed on Yukizome and Sonia’s faces, but it was nothing compared to how Komaeda was feeling. He had never felt worse, except for when his parents had died. It was his fault all over again. His fault the plane crashed, his fault Enoshima had caught him and Hinata.

If he had never given into his feelings, he never would have kissed Hinata. He could have avoided this whole situation. All he would cause Hinata was trouble. Dammit, he knew he was foolish for thinking something good could come out of their relationship. Komaeda just hoped that he could bypass the laws of his luck for once. He hoped that the luck wouldn't touch anything between him and Hinata. 

Wishful thinking, wasn’t it?

“Go home.” Sonia said softly, her voice hard to hear over the sound of Enoshima laughing. Komaeda shook his head and felt tears well up in his eyes. 

“You need help. I-I can help.” He said, his voice raspy. Sonia took a small step towards the entrance. She looked over at it, and then to Komaeda. 

Sonia fidgeted with her apron, Enoshima now going silent. “Go home and rest Komaeda. We'll have it covered.” She looked up at Komaeda, her eyes serious. 

Komaeda dipped his head and pulled his apron off. “Thank you, Sonia. I'll be back at work tomorrow.” Komaeda ignored Enoshima. He could swear he felt her gaze boring into him, questioning him. Komaeda opened the door and took a step outside. 

Komaeda walked down the street, his heart hurting as he stared at the melting snow. It didn't seem like Komaeda had met Hinata that long ago, yet so much time had passed from their first kiss.

First kiss. Komaeda remembered it like it was just a few minutes ago, his lips on Hinata’s. He had surprised both himself and Hinata that day. Ah, what a hopeful day it was. 

And now Komaeda had lost his hope. 

Not his hope in Hinata, he would always believe in Hinata. Even if Hinata hated him, he would always encourage him from the sidelines. Komaeda would do anything Hinata asked. He considered it a blessing that he had met Hinata in the first place. He firmly believed in Hinata’s ability to bring hope to others. 

Komaeda had lost his hope in their relationship. 

It made sense, why Hinata would storm off after being caught kissing Komaeda. Komaeda would be disgusted if he walked in on anyone kissing someone like him. Hinata was embarrassed of Komaeda, why didn't he see that before? He really was an idiot. He pulled his hair out of the stupid getup. Embarrassing. The word repeated itself in his head. 

Komaeda rubbed his eye, tears beginning to well up. He looked down at his hand, now a tad bit wet from his tear. It had been a while since he had last cried, it was definitely before Hinata came into his life. Another tear leaked out of Komaeda’s eye. Shit, why was he thinking of him again?

Komaeda sped up his walking speed, numbly aware of the people staring at him. He understood, they wanted him gone. He was trash, they didn't have to say it. All they needed to do was give him that look. 

That look of disgust. That look of ‘get the hell out of here.’ The look of pity. Komaeda knew it well, everyone looked at him like that. Enoshima looked at him like that, Yukizome looked at him like that, Sonia looked at him like that, and Hinata looked at him like that. They all hated him. 

Komaeda broke into a run, going as fast as he could to his apartment. He sobbed loudly, his tears catching in the wind. All he could think about was Hinata, his soft smiles, his pink cheeks. Hinata would mumble slightly, and it would make Komaeda want to hold him even closer. But Komaeda couldn't hold Hinata. Hinata was done with him, Komaeda had screwed it up. 

He couldn't get Hinata out of his mind. 

❁

Hinata leaned back onto Nanami’s pastel pink couch. He rubbed his forehead, regret pouring through him. Enoshima had seen him and Komaeda kissing. He had pulled the coward move, he had ran. He had left Komaeda to Enoshima all alone. 

Nanami sat next to him, wordlessly tapping away at her Wii remote. She looked up to Hinata. “You'll lose if you keep looking away from the screen. King Boo would be mad at you if you didn't try.” Nanami paused the game and smiled softly at Hinata. She knew she would win anyways. 

Not only had Hinata ran from Enoshima and Komaeda, he had ran straight to Nanami. Luckily he hadn't interrupted anything, but he still felt bad about showing up unannounced at her doorstep. She had let him in and fired up Mario Kart Wii, a game they played together frequently. 

Hinata rubbed his eyes. “Y-yeah. You're right.” Hinata leaned over and pressed the unpause button on Nanami’s remote, the game firing back up. Hinata let out a groan as he drove straight off the coarse. 

Nanami stood up and pressed the power off button on the Wii. She looked at Hinata, her cheeks puffed out. She sat down on the couch, her pink eyes almost staring into Hinata’s soul. “What happened, Hinata? Somethings happened, right?” She asked. 

Hinata nodded slowly. She had figured him out, fast as always. “Komaeda?” Nanami asked, turning so her legs rested on Hinata’s lap. Her back was against the arm of the couch as she questioned him. 

“Yeah. Its Komaeda. I fucked up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hurts that this is almost a year old. 29 more days, oh my god. I'm honestly amazed that its lasted as long as it has and all of the positive feedback I've received. All of your comments give me life and urge me to keep writing. Sorry for the angst this chapter ;) I couldn't resist. Stay tuned! Thank you for reading this chapter!


	27. Chapter 27

Nanami tilted her head and gave Hinata a look of sympathy. “How so?” She asked, unfazed by Hinata’s choice of words. Hinata’s gaze dropped and he looked at his hands. Guilt wracked him even more as he thought about the situation. 

“I ran away.” Hinata said. “I ran away because I was scared of what Enoshima would do to me. I left Komaeda knowing that I would be leaving him. He kissed me in front of Enoshima and I left.” Hinata’s lip quivered as he talked about the situation. 

Nanami slowly nodded, assessing the situation. Her eyes seemed lost in thought as she stared blankly into space. “Apologize. Sooner rather than later though. No texting, characters never like it when you text apologies.” She rambled on, calling Komaeda a character. Hinata guessed she couldn't help it though, all Nanami did in her free time was play games. 

Hinata swallowed and forced a smile for Nanami. “Thanks.” He said quietly. Nanami looked at him, a confused expression on her normally still face. 

“What are you waiting for, Hinata? You don't want to run out of time. Go.” Nanami gave him a tiny push, her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel. Hinata laughed softly at her attempt to push him off the couch. He stood up and nodded at her. 

Nanami was dependable, she always had been. Nanami could lean on Hinata, and Hinata could lean on Nanami. Their friendship had always been like that, and Hinata couldn't ask for anything better. 

Hinata grinned. “Thank you, Nanami. It means a lot. I don't know what I would do without you.” Nanami’s eyes glowed in response to the praise. 

Nanami nodded her head delicately. “Good luck, Hinata. I know it'll come out alright.” Her voice was smooth and clean, genuine as always. 

❁

Hinata-kun, Hinata-kun, Hinata-kun. 

It was all he could think of. Hinata smiling. Hinata walking in the shop for the first time, carrying a girl with him. He had been so sure the two of them had been dating. Maybe it would have been better if they were. If Nanami and Hinata were dating, Komaeda never would have dared ask Hinata out to lunch. 

Komaeda would have given Hinata his drink. He would have ended it there, leaving Hinata at nothing more than an appealing thought to dwell on. Hinata never would have taken the job at the coffee shop. 

Komaeda rubbed his eyes again. They were bloodshot from crying nonstop, it was so unlike him. Hinata was truly a god, one meant to be looked at and not touched. Too bad Komaeda had broken that rule. 

“Hinata-kun.” Komaeda wheezed, sitting in the corner of his apartment. He was duly aware of hunger and thirst, but he didn't know what time it was. It seemed like years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds all at once. He felt like his entire life had passed by but that nothing had happened at all. 

He touched his hair. Still soft from Enoshima’s hair product. Enoshima. Enoshima had walked in on him and Hinata kissing. Hinata. Everything looped back to Hinata, didn't it? Komaeda could think about anything, and he would always find a way to turn it back to Hinata. 

Komaeda tried to swallow, cringing at his hoarse throat. He needed a drink, anything would be fine. He struggled to his feet, oh, he was still wearing shoes. Komaeda hooked his hand in the heel and flung them off to the side, not bothering to untie them. They hit what sounded like the wall. Thank god, he could have hit the television if he threw the other way. 

The apartment was dark and eerie, it must be night. All of the blinds were closed, blocking off any light from the outside world. The lights were off, he hadn't bothered to turn them on. Komaeda stumbled over to the counter, letting out a whine of pain as he hit his counter. He rubbed his midsection, where the impact had occurred.

Komaeda flung open a cabinet, blindly moving his hand in it for a cup. His hand collided with something, knocking it out of the cabinet and onto the floor with a loud crash. Komaeda stumbled back, tears welling in his eyes as he stepped on glass. 

“Hahhh…” Komaeda whispered, tears spilling over. “Hinata-kun, this glass hurts.” He mumbled to himself. Komaeda tried again for a cup, another glass falling out of the cabinet. 

Komaeda flinched as he heard another crash. He kept his hand in the cabinet, his grip finally tightening around a cup. “Gotcha.” He muttered. Komaeda took a step back. Safe. Another step. Safe. One more? Too risky. 

Komaeda let out another noise of pain as he stepped on glass. He dulled the pain as his hands found the faucet. Komaeda blindly turned it on and shoved the cup under, holding it until the water bubbled over onto his skin. 

Water, finally. 

He brought the cup to his lips. Ah fuck, it burnt. Komaeda spat out the scalding water and dropped the cup in surprise. More glass scattered onto the floor. Komaeda stood in the darkness, his mind flitting about. What should he do? Try to get another cup? Hinata? Why was he thinking of Hinata again? Pain?

A loud knocking on the door disturbed Komaeda out of his thoughts. 

“Komaeda? Are you in there? Its me.” A familiar voice called. Tears spilled out of Komaeda’s eyes as the voice registered in his mind. Komaeda moved to the door, stepping on more glass as he did so. 

He didn't mind, all he had to do was open the door. Nothing would stop him. He had to open the door. “H-hinata-kun!” Komaeda called out weakly, his voice almost unhearable. He felt a need to hurry, his footsteps going faster and faster. 

Komaeda reached the door, his vision starting to blur as he messed with the lock. “Hinata-kun.” He said, his voice barely coming out. It was dark, Komaeda couldn't see the lock. The only light coming through was the light underneath the door from the outside hallway where Hinata was. 

“Komaeda? Are you in there?” 

Komaeda struggled with the lock more, trying to get the damn thing open. At last, the lock finally gave. Komaeda pulled the door back, looking into Hinata’s eyes. “H-hinata-kun…” He mumbled. 

 

Hinata’s eyes widened as he rushed forward, grabbing onto Komaeda. “You're so warm, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda mumbled, delirious from the pain. His feet burned like they were on fire. Hinata slowly moved them into Komaeda’s apartment, switching on the light. 

“What the hell? Oh god Komaeda, what have you done to yourself?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry Komaeda. Welp, I'm sorry for the depressing chapter. But hey, every storm has a rainbow! Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I LOVE reading and responding to all of your comments, it is amAZING <3  
> Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	28. Chapter 28

Hinata stared at the mess in Komaeda’s apartment. He could barely believe this was real, that one man had caused all of this.

Glass was scattered all over the kitchen floor. It glimmered in the dim lights of Komaeda's apartment. Komaeda was holding onto Hinata tightly, shaking slightly in his arms. “For-forgive me for being greedy, b-but m-may w-we sit-t down?” Komaeda stammered. His grip on Hinata tightened. 

Hinata looked down into Komaeda’s eyes. Small crystal tears were nestled in the crevices of his eyes, threatening to overflow onto his cheeks. Hinata nodded and let go of Komaeda, watching his boyfriend intently. 

Komaeda remained firmly clutched to Hinata. His arms were snaked tightly around his waist. “I'm sorry Hinata-kun, my legs are far t-too sh-shaky for me to p-possibly walk o-on my ow-own.” Komaeda mumbled. Hinata looked down at Komaeda’s feet. 

Blood stained the ground whenever Komaeda raised his foot. Hinata almost gagged at the sight. “Oh my god, Komaeda.” He stammered, unsure of what to say. Guilt raced through him as he stared at the fresh blood on the ground. 

Komaeda let out a raspy laugh and buried his head in Hinata’s shoulder. “I'm going to walk you over to the couch. Sit down as soon as you can.” Hinata said. He hugged Komaeda tightly and then let go. Hinata took Komaeda's hand and slowly walked him over. 

Hinata’s vision grew blurry as he saw Komaeda take a step and flinch afterwards. There was no way this was a coincidence. This was his fault for running away. If he hadn't run away, Komaeda would never had ended up in this situation. “You're doing great.” He mumbled, deterred by his thoughts. 

Hinata's heart hurt as Komaeda smiled slightly at him, his cheeks stained with tears. “Y-you sp-speak too h-highly of me H-hinata-kun.” Komaeda inhaled sharply as he took another step. 

“Don't talk about yourself like that.” Hinata shook his head. “I'm going to pick you up. Are you okay with that?” He asked, his head in disarray. He couldn't bare see Komaeda struggle anymore. Komaeda nodded slightly and he turned to Hinata. 

 

Hinata swept Komaeda up, holding him bridal style. He flinched slightly at Komaeda's weight, he was a lot lighter than he looked. In fact, Komaeda was extremely light. All he had was skin and bones. Hinata walked over to the couch, holding onto Komaeda tightly. “I'm going to put you down now.” He whispered. “Right now.” 

Komaeda grunted as Hinata put him on the couch, his eyes teary with pain. “Alright, we need to find a doctor. Shit, but you can't move.” Hinata rubbed his forehead as he sat down by Komaeda’s side. 

“T-tsumiki.” Komaeda mumbled. Hinata looked over at Komaeda. 

“Who?”

“Ts-tsumiki. She lives t-two doors down o-on the le-left.” 

Hinata nodded. “I'm so sorry.” He whispered, leaning down to kiss Komaeda's forehead. Komaeda smiled gently and reached out to cup Hinata’s cheek. Another tear slid down his cheek. 

“I'm so glad you're here, Hinata-k-kun.” Komaeda whispered. Hinata leaned into Komaeda's hand. He put his hand over Komaeda’s and then pulled it down. He pressed a soft kiss to Komaeda's hand before standing up. 

“I’m going to get Tsumiki. I'll be as quick as I can.” Hinata promised. He opened the door, looking back at Komaeda before closing it. Hinata looked through the hallway, holding up his hands instinctively to judge left and right. Hinata turned to the left, counting doors until he arrived at the door two to the left. 

Hinata inhaled sharply and knocked on the door. He waited a bit until the door opened, revealing a small girl with yellow pigtails. “Who the hell is this creep?” She remarked.

“M-may I-I s-see?” A quiet voice called from behind the yellow girl. 

“Go to hell. Big sis Koizumi! Some weirdo is at our door!” The first girl called. Hinata flinched. 

A girl with red hair, Hinata assumed it was Koizumi, took the yellow haired girl’s place. “Sorry about Saionji. How can I help you?” Koizumi asked. Hinata sighed in relief. 

“I’m looking for someone named Tsumiki. My friend is hurt and needs help.” Hinata explained, praying he had found the right apartment. Koizumi smiled at him and turned around. 

“I'll go get her.” She turned around and disappeared inside of the apartment. She reappeared with a quivering, bandaged girl. 

“I-I'm Tsumiki. H-how can I-I help?” She asked, her hands shaking. Hinata cast her a warm smile, hoping to calm her down. Her voice matched the second voice he had heard earlier. 

“My boyfriend is hurt. His name is Komaeda Nagito. He stepped in glass and I don’t know what to do. He said you could help.” Hinata rambled. He looked at Tsumiki pleadingly. Tsumiki smiled. 

 

“I-I can h-help. W-we should g-go now to pr-prevent infection.” She said, stepping out of the apartment. Koizumi waved goodbye to Tsumiki before closing the door. 

Hinata led Tsumiki to Komaeda’s apartment. He opened the door and wanted to cry at the sight he saw. Komaeda was sitting up against the arm of the chair, his arm over his eyes. His chest heaved as he cried. Hinata rushed forward, dodging the bits of glass on the floor as he did. 

Hinata pulled down Komaeda's arm with his hand, grabbing Komaeda’s hand and holding it tightly. “I'm here, I'm not running away.” Hinata whispered. Komaeda let out another sob and hugged Hinata tightly. 

“U-Um. I-is the in-injury on the f-foot? D-do you m-mind if I i-interrupt?” Tsumiki stammered, shifting in her spot. Hinata blushed and pulled away from Komaeda, still holding his hand. 

“Go ahead Tsumiki.” Komaeda said, inhaling sharply. Tsumiki moved forward and looked at Komaeda's feet. She frowned and stood straight up. 

“I-is it ok-okay if I borrow a-a bowl to s-soak you-your feet in?” Tsumiki asked, playing with her fingers. Komaeda gave her a soft smile in confirmation. Tsumiki walked into the kitchen, gingerly stepping between pieces of glass. “H-Hinata, w-would you c-clean some o-of this u-up! Haaahhh! I-I’m sorry for or-ordering you to d-do something!” Tsumiki squealed. 

Hinata squeezed Komaeda’s hand and hesitantly let go. He stood up. “Its fine, its best we get it cleaned up as soon as possible.” 

❁

“Oww!” Komaeda hissed as Tsumiki pulled another piece of glass out of his foot with tweezers. Hinata squeezed his hand. The glass had all been cleaned up and it was now safe to walk around Komaeda’s apartment. Tsumiki had soaked Komaeda’s feet in warm water and now she was expertly pulling out glass with tweezers. 

“I-I'm sorry! I-I'm almost d-done.” Tsumiki stammered, pulling out another piece of glass. Komaeda bit his lip and Hinata kissed his cheek. 

Tsumiki’s eyes widened. “L-last piece. Th-this will h-hurt a l-lot. I'm g-going to pin-pinch you to show y-you how m-much it'll h-hurt. F-for a test.” Tsumiki looked up at Komada. Komaeda closed his eyes. 

Komaeda covered his mouth quickly to stop himself from yelling. “I-I'm done.” Tsumiki stood up. Komaeda looked down at his foot. 

“Didn't you have one more to get?” He asked. 

Tsumiki quickly shook her head, her eyes wide. “I-I'm so sorry! I-I lied! I j-just got it!” She sniffled. 

Hinata grinned. Komaeda was going to be okay. Thats all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading all the way here! Sorry this chapter took a bit longer than expected, but its here now! TYSM FOR ALL THE SUPPORT I LOVE YOU GUYS


	29. Chapter 29

“I'm staying the night here. I'm not going to argue about this any longer. I'm looking after you and thats final.”

“Ah, Hinata-kun, your kindness is endless. You really don't need to stay with someone like me.”

Hinata had been trying to convince Komaeda that he would be staying at his apartment for the past hour. The injured party had refused witn arguments consisting of, “I don't deserve your kindness!” And, “But I'm trash!”

Hinata was determined to stay with Komaeda and care for him. He was never going to take no for an answer. He didn't want to leave the barista alone ever again. He was too scared of history repeating itself. Tsumiki had left an hour ago, insisting not to be paid. Hinata was thankful for the nurse’s kindness. 

“I'm staying here. I can't leave you alone.” Hinata said, watching Komaeda’s foot fall off the couch. He sighed and gently picked it up, propping it back up on the couch. “You need to keep this up like Tsumiki said.” Hinata said softly. 

Komaeda inhaled and shook his head. He moved his foot farther away from the edge of the couch. “Your kindness is too much for me, Hinata-kun. I'll be fine on my own. You don't need to go out of your way to-”

“I'm not going out of my way, Komaeda!” Hinata yelled, cutting Komaeda off. Komaeda’s eyes widened like a frightened puppy’s. Hinata immediately felt bad, his stomach curling with digust. Komaeda looked away from Hinata and down to his lap. 

Hinata ran a hand through his hair as he opened his mouth up to apologize. “Hinata-kun truly is…” Komaeda started, beating Hinata to speaking. “Very special to me.” Komaeda said softly, looking up at Hinata. Hinata sat down on the edge of the couch so that he could be near Komaeda. 

“You are not a burden, Komaeda. You are so special to me. I don't know what I would do without you. I was worried sick when I walked in and saw you hurt. All I did was feel guilty about how it was my fault.” Hinata confessed, his head close to Komaeda’s. Komaeda opened his mouth to protest, but was cut short as Hinata pressed his finger to Komaeda's lips.

“I'm proud to have you as my boyfriend, Komaeda Nagito. I'm sorry for all the times I've yelled or snapped at you. You are my world.” Hinata whispered into Komaeda's ear. The room was silent, except for the mixed breathing of Komaeda and Hinata. Hinata felt a soft hand cup his cheek. He allowed his head to be guided to Komaeda’s lips. 

The kiss was soft and warm. It was like a fire inside a cabin, supplying it with warmth and comfort away from the snowy world outside. It was everything at once, but it also felt like nothing at all. Hinata kissed Komaeda back, his arm snaking around Komaeda's waist. 

Hinata broke apart from the kiss to take a small breath. He looked into Komaeda's eyes and fell into them all over again. Hinata kissed Komaeda this time, smiling into the kiss as he allowed his eyes to flutter shut. He was safe here. This was the safest place to Hinata in the whole world. Anywhere with Komaeda was a safe, perfect place. 

Komaeda tilted Hinata’s head up slightly, making the kiss easier and more satisfactory. Hinata allowed himself to be swept away in the moment, forgetting about all of his problems. Enoshima seemed like nothing at all compared to this. This was special and sacred, untouchable.

Komaeda took his hand off of Hinata’s cheek and broke apart from the kiss. He put his hands on Hinata’s waist and pulled him into his lap so Hinata’s legs were facing the television. Hinata wrapped his arms around Komaeda’s neck, feeling nothing else but want. 

The third kiss was fiery and explosive. Hinata could swear that Komaeda was doing all he could to impress Hinata, and goddamn was it working. “Komaeda…” Hinata whimpered into the kiss. Komaeda began kissing him harder, his hand moving up to touch Hinata’s tie. 

Hinata gripped Komaeda's hair, feeling the soft texture with his hands as they kissed. He was blindly aware of Komaeda undoing his tie. Hinata couldn't find any urge to stop Komaeda at that moment. His lips felt tired, but he couldn't stop. All he had to do was remember it was Komaeda he was kissing, Komaeda who was undoing his tie, and he would feel energy course through him. Hinata would always have energy for Komaeda, he would never let him down ever again. 

Komaeda slid the tie off of Hinata’s neck and threw it to the opposite side of the room. It landed softly on the ground, not making much noise. Komaeda let go of Hinata’s lips and looked down, focusing on undoing Hinata’s top buttons. His fingers nimbly worked with each button, sliding each button out unil the top few were undone. 

Hinata gasped slightly as Komaeda placed his cold hand on his chest. It sent chills down his spine before his body temperature quickly readjusted to allow Komaeda to touch Hinata. Komaeda pulled Hinata closer. This time, Hinata was ready to be kissed. His lips were parted when Komaeda moved down to kiss Hinata’s neck. He sucked on Hinata’s skin, feeling it with his tongue. Hinata moaned slightly. 

“K-Komaeda.” Hinata stammered, trying to get Komaeda's attention. Komaeda sucked harder on his skin. His grip on Komaeda tightened. “K-Komaeda.” Hinata said, his voice clearer this time. Komaeda looked up, his expression scared. 

“I don't think we should do this right now.”  
Hinata said quietly, still holding Komaeda close to him. “You need to rest your foot. I would feel awful if I delayed it’s healing.” Hinata admitted. Komaeda looked at his foot, and then to Hinata. 

“Hinata-kun, always worrying about me.” Komaeda mumbled. Hinata laughed slightly and cupped Komaeda’s cheek softly. 

“Someone has to.” Hinata joked. Komaeda laughed softly and pressed his head more into Hinata’s hand. He turned his head and kissed Hinata’s hand. Komaeda brought his hand up and placed it over Hinata’s. 

“I'm glad its you, Hinata-kun. I wouldn't change it for the world.” Komaeda kissed Hinata’s hand again. Hinata’s cheeks lit up with pink. “Ah, that sounded a bit cheesy.” Komaeda mumbled, now having his turn for feeling embarrassed. 

Hinata shook his head quickly. “I thought it was lovely, thank you so much Komaeda. I love looking after you, I love spending time  
with you, I love-” Hinata froze and looked into Komaeda's eyes. 

“You.” Hinata added quietly. Komaeda’s eyes widened, his hand dropping from Hinata’s. Hinata flinched, quickly pulling his hand away from komaeda. He had went too far, shit. He had fucked it up. Too soon.

One single tear rolled from Komaeda's eye. It dropped flalessly into Komaeda’s lap with a small splash. “I love you too, Hinata-kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was hella cheesy lmao  
> Travel back in time exactly one year. I posted the first chapter of Lattes and Fluffy Clouds today, and I couldn't be prouder. I was so excited to start my first ever fanfiction on Archive of Our Own. I never imagined that it would be so popular, and I'm extremely grateful for all the kindness I've recieved so far. I didn't expect this to be so long, but I've decided to take the time I've needed to take to make this the best fic possible for everyone reading it. Thank you so much for reading this chapter, and I'll see you at the next chapter!
> 
> (sorry for the cockblock LOL)


	30. Chapter 30

Komaeda woke up, his mind tired as tried to get out of bed. He held tightly onto his pillow, which smelled nice and felt comforting. The pillow shifted slightly, but Komaeda held it close. He nuzzled into it, inhaling sharply as it tried to move again. “Stop.” He muttered, his grip only tightening on his rebellious pillow. 

Komaeda's eyes slowly blinked open as the harsh morning sun intruded into his bedroom. Komaeda yawned and smiled sleepily to himself. He was perfectly content to just lay in bed with his pillow. These slow moments in life were the ones Komaeda was most thankful for. Nothing in the world could take this away from him. 

 

“Uhhh...um.”

Komaeda rubbed his right eye, still cuddling his pillow. Last time he checked, pillows don't make noises. Maybe he was just dreaming. Komaeda closed his eyes again and tried to fall back asleep. His efforts were useless though, as his pillow seemed much more harder than it had before. 

Komaeda opened his eyes once more. It was annoying, but he would have to figure out what was wrong with his pillow before going back to sleep. “A-are you awake?” A familiar voice asked. Komaeda lazily looked in the direction the voice had came from, which was right in front of him. The muddle of brown and pale colors slowly sharpened into a muddle of Hinata. In fact, it was a very flustered Hinata. 

Komaeda’ cheeks tinted slightly with pink as realization hit him. He wasn't sleeping with his pillow in the first place, he was with Hinata. Komaeda looked around slightly, still laying on Hinata. He was in the front room on the couch, not his bedroom. “Hinata-kun…” Komaeda mumbled, resting his head once more on Hinata's chest. 

A warm hand touched Komaeda’s head and he smiled from the comfortable touch. In the days Hinata had stayed at his house, the touching of Komaeda's hair had become a regular occurrence.

“Its soft.” Hinata had replied one day after Komaeda had asked him why he liked something so strangely colored and ugly. “And it isn't ugly. Or strange. It's beautiful.” Hinata had added, blushing and leaving the room. The response had made Komaeda feel light and airy, with nothing but happiness coursing through him. His adoration for Hinata only grew that day. 

Komaeda smiled softly at Hinata. The morning drowsiness still affected him as he yawned once more. Hinata yawned in response. Komaeda let out a small fit of giggles as he sat up, now straddling Hinata. Hinata smiled slightly, blushing as he sat up as well. “Good morning, Komaeda. You slept like a rock.” Hinata greeted. 

Komaeda raised his arms and wrapped them around Hinata's neck. “You should sleep with me every night.” Komaeda said calmly, though his face looked nothing but mischievous. He found that he was slightly serious and slightly joking in his statement. Hinata blushed. 

“Th-this only happened because you fell asleep during the movie last night.” Hinata began to explain. “You leaned on me and there was nothing that I could have done. I wasn't about to push you off.” Hinata looked over to the side, still blushing. 

Komaeda was aware of what he had done last night. He was growing bored of the movie Hinata had picked, but he didn't want to be rude. Komaeda had closed his eyes and rested his head on Hinata's shoulder and let sleep do the rest. He wasn't expecting to wake up on Hinata, but it was a pleasant surprise. Fate had been kind to Komaeda for once. 

“Right, right. I'm so lucky I have you to take care of me.” Komaeda mumbled, pushing his head into Hinata’s chest. “So incredibly lucky.” Komaeda puckered up his lips and stared at Hinata. He gave Hinata the best puppy-eyes he could manage. 

Hinata moved his head forward and kissed Komaeda softly. The kiss was sweet and Hinata’s lips were softer than anything Komaeda could imagine. Komaeda smiled into the kiss as he brought his hand up to Hinata’s cheek. 

Morning kisses had become a normal thing, all Komaeda had to do was look at Hinata through his eyelashes or pucker up his lips. Within seconds Hinata would be on him, kissing him softly. These kisses were all too precious and seemed to last for days. 

But that was the extent of it. 

The duo hadn't gone farther than these deep kisses. Hinata had always stuttered to wait until Komaeda was fully healed, but Komaeda was almost healed. Couldn't they progress to something more now? “I need to go make breakfast.” Hinata declared, bringing his head away from Komaeda's. 

Komaeda yawned and rolled off of Hinata. “Don't burn yourself.” Komaeda called softly, rubbing his eyes. He opened one of them and watched Hinata stand up and stretch. Hinata’s shirt rode up a bit, exposing his midsection. “Hinata-kun..!” Komaeda whined, laying down on the couch. His eyes raked over every inch of Hinata’s stomach.

‘He's too wonderful.’

His lust for Hinata had only grown while Hinata had been staying over at his apartment. “One more kiss.” Hinata mumbled, sitting back down on the couch. Komaeda smirked and wrapped his arms around Hinata’s neck. He pulled Hinata in and kissed him. 

Komaeda moved his head back slightly, keeping his forehead pressed against Hinata’s. “Hinata-kun, I'll be fully healed soon. I can walk on my own.” Komaeda whispered, looking into Hinata’s eyes. 

Hinata’s cheeks turned pink. “Y-yes. I'm glad you're recovering swiftly.” He stammered. Komaeda smiled and kissed Hinata’s cheek. He was too cute to resist. 

“I want you, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda said, his words dripping like honey as he gave Hinata the most seductive look he could manage. 

“Y-you have me.” Hinata replied, his cheeks lighting up more. 

“You know what I mean, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda moved to kiss Hinata. He tilted Hinata’s head up slightly to deepen the kiss. 

Hinata's eyes widened. “You aren't the only one waiting, okay? I just don't want to hurt you.” Hinata whispered, kissing Komaeda. Komaeda kissed Hinata back, holding him tightly in his arms. 

“I love you, Hinata-kun.”

“I love you too, Komaeda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -THIS CHAPTER IS DETICATED TO BIA-  
> I'm so sorry this was so unimaginably late! My vacation came to a close and I had to start up at a new school, which is still taking me some time to get used to. The schedule is a bit wonky, but I'm getting the hang of it! Thank you so much for sticking with LAFC for now! I'll try to update ASAP this time!  
> Thank you so much!  
> (ily bia tysm for all of the motivation)


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> smut warning

Minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks, which in turn added up to an entire month. Work for both Komaeda and Hinata had resumed as usual, which was a joyous occasion for all of the workers of Hope’s Coffee Shop. Enoshima had disappeared with nothing but a sticky note with the words, “Cya!” This sticky note brought nothing but happiness to the ones who bore witness to Enoshima’s treachery. Hinata never really quite understood why Enoshima had left so suddenly, but Sonia had told him not to worry about it. 

“We should just be glad she’s left for now. Life may now return to normal.” Sonia had smiled after speaking, patting Hinata’s back supportively. Hinata could live with that. As long as Komaeda had a smile on his face, Hinata would live on without care.

After Komaeda’s accident, Hinata had developed a habit of staying at Komaeda’s apartment nearly every day of the week. The only times he would ever leave was when Komaeda agreed to let him stay over the next night. As much as Komaeda promised him that nothing would happen, those nights spent away from Komaeda were filled with nothing but worry. 

Tonight was another night spent at Komaeda’s apartment, which was appearing to be as uneventful as the rest. Absolutely no exciting developments had happened at all while Hinata had been staying over at Komaeda’s apartment. I mean, they are boyfriend’s aren't they? It's natural to expect that something would happen when you're spending so much time around your significant other. 

Honestly, Hinata was a bit frustrated. Every night, he expected Komaeda to make some sort of move. Nothing ever happened! Even now, Komaeda was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, absorbed in some sort of book. Hinata had his phone out, scrolling with his thumb so it appeared that he was doing something. Every few seconds, his eyes darted over to Komaeda. Komaeda’s arm was resting against the arm on the couch, his other hand holding the book. 

Hinata let out an exhausted sigh, hoping to catch Komaeda’s attention. Komaeda shut his book and stood up, looking down at Hinata. “I'm going to sleep now. If you're going to stay up, please shut off all the lights once you've finished. Please, take your time Hinata-kun. ” Komaeda made eye contact with Hinata while he spoke, only to break it as he walked out to his room.

Hinata frowned as he watched Komaeda walk off. “No, I'll go to sleep too.” He said, following Komaeda. His hand brushed over the light switch, turning off the lights of the living room behind him. Hinata closed the door to Komaeda’s room behind him. His brain whizzed with ideas until it chose one to carry out. 

Komaeda slid off his jacket onto the floor as usual, and then moved onto his shirt. His pale torso became exposed as his shirt fell to the floor. Hinata inhaled sharply before stepping forward. He placed both of his hands on Komaeda’s shoulders and pushed him down into the bed. Komaeda let out a noise of surprise as Hinata clambered on top of him. 

Both of Hinata’s hands were planted next to Komaeda’s head, his knees on opposite sides of Komaeda. Hinata met Komaeda's wide eyes before moving into kiss Komaeda, his mouth moving against Komaeda's. A shiver went up Hinata's spine as he felt Komaeda's hand on the back of his neck. 

Komaeda moving his head slightly to the left, breaking apart from Hinata’s lips. “This is a surprise, Hinata-kun…” Komaeda started. Hinata remained silent, adrenaline rushing through him as he looked down at Komaeda. “But I'm glad. I was beginning to think you would never take action.” Hinata’s eyes widened as Komaeda cupped his cheek. 

Komaeda attempted to sit up, but was forced back down to the bed by Hinata’s hand. “N-no.” Hinata stammered. His face burned a bright pink. Komaeda laughed softly and put one hand over the hand on his chest. 

“Always impressing me, Hinata-kun. However, I'm afraid I cannot allow that in this situation.” Komaeda took Hinata's hand, pulling it off of his chest. He sat up and then reversed the roles quickly so he was staring down at Hinata. 

Hinata swallowed, anticipation and nervousness running through his veins as Komaeda's eyes raked over his body. Komaeda’s lips were soon on his, kissing him softly. Hinata succumbed to the kiss, wrapping his arms around Komaeda's neck. 

Heat rushed to Hinata’s lower half as Komaeda moved to his neck, kissing it roughly. “O-Oh..!” Hinata said loudly, the embarrassing noise filling the bedroom. Hinata shivered slightly as he felt Komaeda's hand on his stomach, slowly pushing up his shirt. 

Hinata gripped Komaeda’s snow-white hair as Komaeda continued to kiss his neck. “K-Komaeda! It'll l-leave a mark!” Hinata stammered, his eyes shut from the pleasure he was feeling. Komaeda grunted in response and continued to kiss Hinata’s neck. Once satisfied that it would leave a mark, Komaeda lifted his lips and brought them to Hinata’s ear. 

“May I ask you to remove your shirt, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda asked, his words dripping with lust. Komaeda's warm breath felt good against Hinata’s skin, as if enveloping him in a warm embrace on cold winter day. Hinata inhaled sharply, throwing his shirt off his shoulders as quickly as possible. The shirt flew to the air before landing gracefully on the ground. 

Komaeda immediately went to work, peppering small kisses down Hinata’s torso. Hinata wanted to shut his eyes, but god did he want to watch Komaeda. “N-Nagito…” He whined, heat gathering in his lower half. Komaeda’s name had slipped out on accident, maybe because Hinata was desperate for relief.

Hinata's hand twitched to touch his dick. He bit his lip, trying to resist the temptation. Maybe it was the name-calling that urged Komaeda on, but Komaeda’s hands were now fumbling with his belt. Hinata whimpered out Komaeda’s name again, trying to urge him on. The attempt was successful as Komaeda slid off Hinata’s belt, tossing it to where Hinata’s shirt was.

Hinata moaned as Komaeda's hand made contact with his dick through his clothes. Komaeda’s hand kneaded it slightly, a malicious smile painted on his face. “Say it again.” Komaeda commanded smoothly. Hinata’s breath hitched and he wrapped his arms around Komaeda’s neck tightly.

“N-Nagito, please.” Hinata begged, the tension almost unbearable. Komaeda's smile grew as he kissed Hinata’s cheek before moving down to unzip Hinata’s pants. 

“Ah…” Komaeda said aloud, gazing at the scene in front of him. It was unbearably hot, watching Hinata stare at him with begging eyes. His hips were splayed on the bed, inviting Komaeda in. He swallowed and reached into his nightstand, pulling out a tube of lube. He ignored Hinata’s widening eyes as he coated his fingers in the substance. 

Komaeda leaned forward slightly to kiss Hinata, deciding to give him a little surprise. At the same time, he inserted a finger into Hinata. Hinata gasped in surprise, jerking his head back a little. “How is that, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda said, his voice low. Hinata let out a low moan of pleasure, unable to form words. One by one, Komaeda inserted another finger until Hinata was ready. He withdrew his finger and began sliding off his pants and underwear.

Hinata inhaled sharply at what he was about to experience, although he couldn’t imagine it with anyone else. Komaeda redied himself and then, at a moments notice, entered Hinata. Hinata grasped at the sheets as Komaeda bucked his hips. 

The two went on through the night until they fell on each other, both exhausted but satisfied. Hinata wrapped his arms around Komaeda. “Why did you wait?” Hinata asked silently, his words piercing through the darkness. He felt Komaeda inhale and then exhale, his ribs moving in unison with his movements.

“I didn’t want to force it on you.” Komaeda replied, wrapping his arms around Hinata. “I didn’t want you to get scared.” Hinata felt a warm hand cup his cheek. Hinata sighed in relief, thankful that Komaeda wasn’t tired of him. In the end, it was just typical Komaeda being Komaeda, always putting Hinata first. 

Hinata closed his eyes. “Thank you, Nagito. For everything.” He mumbled before falling into the deep abyss of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG ISNSKNSISNSJSJEIENID  
> I WAS PLAYING DRV3 AND DEALING WITH LIFES WONDERFUL ISSUES THAT IT LIKES TO PRESENT  
> ily guys this also coincidentally happens to be Hinata’s birthday. happy bday my lil boy.  
> im planning on the next chapter being the last, as personallly I feel as if it is time to wrap up the story and present as ending. thank you all so much for sticking with me xx


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